Something New
by TStabler
Summary: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. But what if something that ended a long time ago is leading to A LOT of new beginnings? For Olivia and Elliot, it really is the start of something new. Rating for future chap. nothing to do w/HSM
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: When a writer has too many ideas, things like this happen. 14 stories at once, gah! Set around S2 with its gears cranking in an AU direction. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf, genius, owns SVU and its characters. TStabler©, fan of genius, owns this story, the narrative, the dialogue, and everything but the characters.**

"No, that's not what...I'm not saying you can't play baseball, Dickie, just...you can't play it in the house!" Olivia yelled, opening the back door and tossing the hard ball out into the yard.

Dickie rolled his eyes. "Livia," he whined, "It's hot out there! And it's dark!"

"It's summer!" Olivia said, wide-eyed. "And it's night! No ball in the house. Your parents would kill me and then they'd kill you, now either go outside and play, or stay in here and do something else!"

Dickie sighed and headed up to his room. "You're such a cop," he grumbled.

"Yes, I am!" Olivia yelled, closing the back door.

Maureen, from the archway leading to the living room, said, "Yeah, Livia, you're a cop. So why aren't you at that stupid dinner-dance thing with my dad?"

"What?" Olivia asked, coughing slightly.

Maureen chuckled. "Well, not _with_ my Dad, but...why didn't you go?"

Olivia shrugged. "Your folks needed someone to stay with you, I didn't have a date, everybody wins." She rested a hand on the young girl's shoulder and patted, unwilling to tell her that she couldn't stand watching her partner and his wife parading their perfect relationship in front of her all evening. "Besides, I'd just be in the way," she said quickly.

Maureen sighed and shook her head, watching as Olivia walked into the living room to join her sisters on the couch. "She's so blind," she mumbled. "Everybody in this house is just...blind." She rolled her eyes and followed Olivia's footsteps, making her way into the room to watch the movie with the rest of the girls.

* * *

"Okay," Olivia said, flicking the button on the remote as the credits rolled, "That was two hours of my life that I will never get back. Why did you make me sit through that?"

Kathleen gasped. "The wolf-boy was gorgeous!"

"The vampire was so dreamy!" Lizzie cried, leaning up on her elbows.

"And they were both twelve!" Olivia laughed.

"So am I," Kathleen said, smirking.

Olivia laughed. "And I'm...not twelve." She looked at each of the girls and said, "Okay, up to bed. Showers, brush your teeth, I'm checking on you in thirty minutes."

"Thirty?" Kathleen asked, her eyes wide.

"You all have your own bathrooms," Olivia said, raising her eyebrow, "And you're all little. There isn't that much of you to wash. Move!"

Lizzie got up and leaned in to Kathleen, but Olivia heard her speak. "Is it just me, or is Livia more of a mother than Mom sometimes?"

"Sometimes?" Kathleen whispered back. "More like all the time. Livia's kids are gonna be the luckiest brats in New York," she said, running up the stairs.

Olivia sighed, leaning her head back on the couch, thinking about how happy that little exchange had made her, and how miserable. She waited the agreed upon thirty minutes, then walked up the stairs. She read Dickie a story, then read one to Lizzie, checked on Kathleen and Maureen, then made her way back down to the living room. She sighed as she curled back up, pulling her knees to her chest as she picked up her book. She read the same line over and over again, then tossed the book onto the seat beside her. She looked around the room, at the photos on the walls and on the shelves, and something struck her. Elliot and Kathy were never in the same pictures. They were never together, save for the wedding photo, in which they both looked petrified. They were, after all, only eighteen when they got married, and they weren't exactly doing it because they wanted to do it.

She got off the couch, walked over to the fireplace and looked at the pictures on the mantle. Elliot with his kids, looking happy, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Then Kathy with the kids, looking as if she had to work to smile. Were things bad at home? They couldn't have been. Elliot would have told her. Right? She walked over to the one family photo she saw, on the wall near the stairs, and she smiled. Elliot looked so happy. His family was his life. Dickie was on his shoulders, he had one arm around Kathleen and the other resting on Lizzie's head. She briefly wondered why Kathy was as far away from Elliot as she could be, only linking arms with Maureen. If that was her, if she had a husband like that, her arms would be wrapped around him in every photograph. She'd make sure the world knew he was hers, and she was his. Why wasn't Kathy enjoying the perfect man and perfect life she'd been given?

She ran her finger over Elliot's smiling face, letting out another sigh, and backed up toward the couch again. She grabbed her book, curled up, and finally moved beyond the second sentence when the key turned in the door and it opened.

Elliot and Kathy walked into the room, silent, obviously upset and tense. "Say something," Kathy demanded.

"I already said everything I needed to say," Elliot said through gritted teeth. "The fact that you're...you're just...damn it, Kathy!"

Suddenly, they both stopped, turned, and looked at Olivia. Her eyes were wide, her lips were pressed together. She rose off the couch and said, "Yeah, so you two look like you had a great time. Kids are fed, washed, and asleep. I'm gonna go."

"No," Elliot said, holding out a hand. "I'm driving you, just gimme a second." He looked at Kathy, narrowing his eyes. "You want it, Kathy. You got it. But I'll be damned if you're getting anything, especially the kids. You wanna leave, you leave empty-handed."

Olivia must have misheard him, she must have. She shook her head, blinking quickly, clearing her head.

Elliot looked at her for a moment, focusing on how naturally beautiful she looked in the loose sweats and tank top. Her hair was back, she wasn't wearing any makeup, and she was stunning. He cleared his throat, turned and grabbed the doorknob, opening it and ushering Olivia outside. He led her to his SUV and asked, "Did the kids give you any trouble?"

Olivia scoffed. He just changed the fucking subject. "Dickie tried to turn the kitchen into Yankee Stadium, but I put the kibosh on that right away. Other than that, no. You have have four little angels."

"Okay, next question, why the hell didn't you come with me to this thing tonight?" Elliot asked, starting the car and driving away. He was driving faster than necessary. He was pissed. Or nervous. Or both.

Olivia chuckled. "Because you didn't ask me to! Not to mention, I just assumed you wanted to take June Cleaver, Ward. I didn't have a date, you needed a sitter..."

"You're my partner," Elliot said, glancing at her sideways. "I shouldn't have to ask, it should just be...we should just go to these stupid things together." There was a moment of silence, as they both held their breath crossing the bridge. Once on the other side, Elliot exhaled and said, "I don't wanna spend any more time alone with Kathy, who by the way is nothing like June fucking Cleaver, than I have to. I would have much rather been there with you, Liv. And you could have asked Cassidy if you wanted to come..."

Olivia interrupted, snipping, "That's over. That's been over for a long time. That was a mistake. It was one night, one stupid night that I let go way too far, and...yeah."

"Sorry," Elliot said, sighing. He sounded relieved. "The way he talks, Liv, he makes it sound like he's still with you."

"He was never with me," Olivia said, scoffing. "Hey, what happened at that dinner?"

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked, turning onto Olivia's street.

Olivia dropped her jaw and looked at him. "I was in the room, El. Something happened tonight, something big. Kathy's..."

"Leaving," Elliot said, biting his lip. "Yeah," he whispered. He parked in front of Olivia's building and turned to her. "She's leaving. We haven't been happy together in a really long time, Liv. We kept having kids, hoping they would bring us together, and all they've done...they've made me incredibly happy, but they've made Kathy's life hell. I'm never there, becasue of work, and she's starting to hate me, and hate them. She can't handle it anymore."

Olivia looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "You don't seem like you're putting up too much of a fight here, I mean..."

"I'm tired of fighting, Liv!" Elliot cried. "You shouldn't have to fight for it, ya know? Love. It shouldn't be work, it shouldn't be hard! Love should be easy, love should be natural. And what I have with Kathy...shit, it was never either of those things." He sighed, ran a hand down his face and said, "I found it though. Easy, natural. I got it."

Olivia held her hand up. "Oh, El, if you're about to tell me you've been cheating on..."

"What? No! Please," Elliot said, giving her a look. "But I'm not gonna lie and tell you I haven't thought about it. I think I might be in love with someone, Liv. Really. Honest to God, real, easy, natural, hopeless love." He waited for a reaction. He got nothing. "I need your advice, I mean, what do I do with that?"

Olivia sighed closing her eyes, feeling the knife dig in a little deeper. "Whoever she is, El, she's a lucky bitch. Take her someplace nice, tell her how you feel. If she has a brain and a working pair of eyes, she's already in love with you, too. Who knows? It could be the start of something new for you." She got out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

"Liv!" Elliot yelled.

"I know," Olivia called back to him. "Flash the lights. Right."

She was in the door before Elliot could tell her what he really wanted to say. He waited, then watched the lights in her bedroom window flash, then sighed. "Idiot," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head as he headed back home to Queens.

* * *

Elliot walked into work the morning, into the bustling squadroom. "Hey, jefe!" he called to Cragen, the captain, who waved a Twizzler at him as he answered a ringing phone. "What's going on?" he asked Olivia, who was on the phone herself.

Olivia cupped the receiver. "Taking sighting calls. Missing six year old boy. Ran out of his abductor's van at a stoplight on Thirty-Fourth Street."

"Got him!" Munch yelled, slamming down his phone. "Cassidy, off your ass, let's go!"

Cassidy winked at Olivia, then left with Munch.

Olivia hung up the phone and ran her hands over her face. "He needs to get over it."

"The sooner the better," Elliot said, chuckling. "Hey, uh, what are you doing tonight?"

"I had a date," Olivia said, "Why, you need me to watch the kids?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "Uh, had? What do you mean had?" he asked handing her a cup of coffee.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Mark found out what I do for a living when he called the station and Cassidy answered with a bright and cheerful 'Sex Crimes, Detective Cassidy speaking."

"Ouch," Elliot said. "He run away or what?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "He wanted to know if I could describe my latest case to him, in detail, in my best bedroom voice."

Elliot made a face at her. "Jesus," he said. "You didn't, did you?" he asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"I hate you," Olivia said, sipping her coffee. "Thanks for this, by the way. So you and Kathy kiss and make up? You taking her out? Why am I watching the kids?"

Elliot laughed. "Ah, no, Kathy and I did not make up. In fact, I slept on the couch for the three-hundred-and-sixty-third night in a row. I don't need you to watch the kids."

Olivia squinted at him. "Then why did you..."

"Hey, uh, you have a brain, right?" Elliot asked, smirking. "And you have perfect vision, correct?"

Olivia tilted her head. "Elliot, have you gone completely crazy?" she asked, holding up a finger to Cragen, who was signaling for their attention.

"Come to dinner with me tonight," Elliot said, taking another sip of his coffee.

Olivia snickered. "You need to ask me to dinner now? Christ, we go to dinner every night after work. Burgers and beer at Barley's Pub."

"No, not tonight. This time it's different," Elliot said. "Tonight, I wanna take you someplace nice."

As the realization hit her, Olivia opened her mouth to yell at him for screwing with her, but she was interrupted.

"Children," Cragen yelled, "You've got a body on Fortieth. Two-Eight-Nine, storefront. Meet Warner and CSU there." He grabbed Elliot on the way out and said, "And please, for the love of God, don't laugh at any stupid shit while you're out there today. The damn M.E already thinks you two are the most insensitive cops she has to work with."

"Easy, jefe," Elliot said with a smile, "We'll keep the inside jokes to a minimum." He slapped the captain on his shoulder and walked out with Olivia, anxious to get the case closed fast, and tell her what he wanted to tell her, and hopefully do what she told him that would do: start something new.

**A/N: How do they work on this case? Where does Elliot take her for dinner? Does he tell or her, or does he lose his nerve? Is Kathy really leaving? Review to find out! Here or on Twitter TMG212**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Something ends, faster than Elliot anticipated. Something begins, faster than Olivia did. Again, I apologize for the short length. I'm on vacation, so I'm writing in bursts of free creativity while relaxing, and it's being done on my phone. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

"Okay," Melinda Warner, Medical Examiner, said as she rose to her feet. "If you two are done listing all the euphemisms for vagina you can think of..."

"Wait!" Olivia cried. "Venus fly trap!"

Elliot turned and looked at her funny. "Ow!" he said, dragging it out and pulling not-so-discreetly on his pants.

"Hey," Olivia said. "It only snaps shut if it feels violated...or if its, um, hungry." She winked at him and thought she saw him blush.

Melinda rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Well, this woman's, uh, trap, was definitely not violated. She did have sex though. Preliminary guess is it was consensual, it was the other end that suffered the trauma. She was orally sodomized with something too large for her mouth. Her jaw's broken."

Elliot and Olivia cringed. "Jokes end here," Elliot said, and Olivia agreed. "Any ID on her?"

Melinda nodded. "Her name's Brooke Farnsworth," she said. "Wallet was in her purse." She pointed to the nearest CSU who handed the bagged evidence to Elliot.

"We should try to locate the family," Olivia said. "Get someone down to ID the body, ask the usual questions."

"Thank you," Elliot said. "I was just standing here thinking, 'Crap! I completely forgot how to do my job! I hope Liv remembers," he said, teasing, with a smirk.

Olivia rolled her eyes and hit him in the arm, chuckling as they walked toward the car. "Thanks," she yelled to Warner. "Call us when you have..."

"I will," Warner interrupted, waving at them.

Elliot got into the driver side, still laughing, as Olivia climbed into the passenger seat. "Jerk," she quipped, watching him start the car.

"You love me," Elliot said, winking at her as he pulled away from the scene. He was about to say he loved her, too, when his phone rang. "Shit," he complained. "Kathy's ringtone," he said, rolling his eyes. He answered it, keeping his eyes on the road. "What, I'm working," he gruffed. "No, I don't know where it is. Check his bookbag. His dresser then. Closet? Look, Kathy, his uniform..."

"Is in the dryer," Olivia said. "I washed it last night. I knew he had a game tonight and I didn't want him playing in a dingy uniform."

"You amaze me," Elliot said as he smiled and shook his head at her. "It's in the dryer," he said into the phone. "Don't thank me, thank Liv. Friday? That soon, huh? What are you telling the kids?" He sighed, stopping at a red light and closing his eyes. "It's not me you have to worry about. It's them. Bye." He hung up, just as the light turned green, and looked at Olivia. "So that's it. She's done. She's just gonna walk away. She's moving out. She'll be gone by Friday."

Olivia stared at him, unblinking. "Why are you so...aren't you in love with some girl? I thought you said you had real, easy, natural love with her!"

"I do," Elliot said. "Or I hope I do. I'm gonna find out tonight, I'm taking her to dinner, but I didn't think she'd take off this fast. I thought she'd wake up this morning and change her mind, like she always does, I'm just so used to living in this safe, little..."

"Lifeless, loveless marriage," Olivia finished.

Elliot scoffed. "Exactly." He parked the car in front of the station and looked at her.

Then, Olivia furrowed her brow, looked at Elliot, and tilted her head. "Wait a minute. Aren't you taking me to dinner tonight?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes, smirked, and said, "We have a family to notify, Liv." He opened his door, got out of the car, and headed for the doors, leaving a very stunned Olivia frozen in the car.

Olivia thought back to what he asked her, about her brain, and her eyes, as he handed her coffee that morning. She remembered her words the night before; "If she has a brain and a working pair of eyes, she's already in love with you, too, El." Then she thought back to how nervous he had been in the car as he tried to tell her something...and she walked away. "Oh, my God," she gasped, "He loves me!" She bounced in her seat, hitting her head on the roof of the car. "Aw, ow," she said, rubbing her head, getting out. She walked toward the building, seeing that Elliot had waited by the door, holding it open.

"You good?" he asked.

"Fine," she said, still rubbing her head.

Elliot smirked, following her in and toward the elevator, hoping tonight would spark something between them. Something new. Something wonderful. Something perfect.

* * *

"Daddy!" Lizzie yelled, leaping into Elliot's arms.

"Hey, princess," Elliot said, hugging her. "I'm not staying long, peanut," he told her, brushing her hair back. "Where's your mother?"

"Packing," Lizzie said. "Are we going to Disney?"

Elliot laughed sadly. "No, peanut. Mommy's, uh, your mother is the only one that's leaving."

Lizzie looked at her father, confused. "Why? Doesn't she love us anymore?"

Maureen, the oldest and most intuitive, said, "No, rugrat. She doesn't."

Elliot looked at her disapprovingly. "Don't say that, Maur," he scolded.

"It's true," Maureen said unapologetically. She shrugged and said, "As long as you're not abandoning us, too, we'll be okay."

Elliot put Lizzie down, walked over to Maureen, and said, "Maur, I will never, ever, leave you. I promise. You kids are my life! I love you guys, so, so, much. I will never do..."

"What I'm doing?" Kathy asked quietly, hurt in her voice. She had suitcases in her hands, piling them in a corner of the room.

Elliot got to his feet. "Yeah, actually," he said.

"You know why I have to go," Kathy whispered to him. "Elliot, we barely know each other anymore. We never really did. I never wanted this many kids, and I had them for you, for us, it just...it didn't work. This isn't working. I'm miserable, you're miserable; we've been trying to keep it together for years. This isn't the life either of us wanted, and it still isn't the life we want, is it?"

"It was! We're having problems, yeah, but up until...I'm still...forget it," Elliot said, thinking of Olivia. "You're right. I know you're right."

Dickie tugged on Elliot's pant-leg. "Dad," he said. "If you're going out, and Mom's leaving, is Livia gonna watch us?"

Kathleen gasped and cheered. "Is she? Can she? Will she?"

"No," Elliot said, smiling. "Mom will stay with you guys. She's not leaving just yet. She has to talk to you. Call my call, or Liv's, if you need me, Maur."

Maureen smirked and folded her arms. "So you're gonna be with Olivia, then?"

"Maury, she is my partner," Elliot said, nodding, rolling his eyes. "I will be with Olivia." He kissed each of his kids, out of habit he kissed Kathy's cheek. "Be gentle with them, Kathy," he said. "They're not going to understand."

Kathy nodded. "I'll take Dickie to his game if you..."

"Liv and I will be there," Elliot said. "We always are." He nodded once at her as he left, closing the door as the thought occurred to him. Olivia had been to every one of Dickie's baseball games with him, while Kathy had barely made time to drop him off on most nights. The thought, surprisingly, made him smile as he drove away to pick up Olivia, hoping she was as crazy about him as he was about her.

**A/N: Next chap, we get dinner, and Olivia and Elliot get friendly at Dickie's baseball game! As you can tell, this fic is more family oriented than my other's, with a lot of S2 case/squad humor and such interwoven. Like the title suggests, it's something new! ;) Review? Yes? Here or on Twitter TMG212**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Next chap, we get dinner, and Olivia and Elliot get friendly at Dickie's baseball game! **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

As she dressed for dinner, not too dressy, since it was Elliot, a thought occurred to Olivia. What if she was going to dinner with him...and the girl he was in love with? She had received a phone call when Elliot dropped her off, from Fin, and Elliot told him about this knockout at work. Some gorgeous girl he couldn't stop thinking about. Was it someone she knew? Was it someone they both worked with? God, was it Alex or Casey? Melinda? Is that why when she asked him about it, he avoided the question? This was going to be a disaster. She sighed as she spritzed some body spray on and made sure her hair looked nice enough for dinner, but not too nice for a baseball game. She checked herself in the mirror one last time, making sure the slightly sexy top and killer heels were offset just enough by the "baseball-watching" jeans, that conveniently hugged every curve of her lower body perfectly. She smirked as she saw that her outfit had the desired effect. If he was with another woman, he'd regret it. If this was, in fact, a date, he'd be one lucky son of a bitch.

There was a knock on the door, and Olivia took a deep breath as she grabbed her clutch. She sighed as she walked out into the living room, tensed up as she grabbed the doorknob, and relaxed as she opened the door. "Hi, El," she said, casually.

Elliot's face amused Olivia. His eyes traveled up and down her body, and the right corners of his lips twitched. He was breathless, speechless, thoughtless, and motionless.

"You ready?" Olivia asked, leaning against her doorframe, waiting for him to say something. Do something.

Elliot nodded dumbly. "You look so...incredible." He blinked, cleared his throat, and moved aside so she could step into the hallway. His eyes followed her ass as she moved.

"Thanks," Olivia said, smirking slightly. She made a mental note to buy four more pairs of the jeans she was wearing. "I wasn't sure if we were meeting anyone else, if it was just us," she said, "Or if we going to get that girl you're in love with. Fin told me, ya know."

"What?" Elliot barked, stopping. "He did what?"

"Some woman at work? Really?" Olivia said, letting her unfounded jealousy get the best of her. "I mean, I get that you're on the rebound and everything, but if you could keep it out of work that would be great." As she turned away from him, her eyes closed. She didn't mean to say any of that, and it was too late to take it all back.

Elliot scoffed. "Rebound?" he questioned. "No way, Liv. This is not...this isn't that. I'm really falling...I have fallen for this girl. And asking me to keep it out of work is impossible, unless you want me to transfer or get a new partner." He grabbed her hand and tugged. "What do you think all of this has been about? I never came right out and said it, but I thought you'd pick up on the fact that I was talking about you."

Olivia looked into his eyes. "I did," she said softly. "But then I thought that there was just...no way you could...that you would ever..."

"There is no way I could ever not be in love with you," Elliot said, cutting her off. "Just come to dinner with me, we'll go to Dickie's game with the kids like we always do, and we'll see where this goes."

Olivia gasped. "The kids? Elliot, we shouldn't be doing..."

"Kathy is talking to them, she's doing it right now. They already expect me to run into your arms. At least Maureen does. Lizzie expects Disneyland."

Olivia laughed. "That's probably not a bad idea," she said, allowing Elliot to take her hand, flinching slightly at the newness and the oddness of his touch in this way. They walked down her hallway and took the stairs.

"Have you ever been to Disneyland, Liv?" Elliot asked, making an effort to remind himself to breath. He was really walking with her hand in his. It was so easy.

Olivia and Elliot pushed through the door and headed for the front entrance. "No," she said. "My mother was not the 'family vacation' type. She took me to a wine tasting once."

"That must have been nice," Elliot said, leading her down the street to his parked car. He noticed how the breeze blew her naturally wavy hair just slightly, and he smiled. She was the most beautiful person in the world.

"I was seven," Olivia said, looking away from him and toward the sky. "So no, it wasn't nice."

Elliot caressed the side of her hand with his thumb as they walked. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her. "For everything she did to you. Everything she put you through, the pain you had to endure. Honey, you didn't deserve any of it," he told her. "It's made you the amazing, strong, woman you are now, though. Look at the positive."

As they stopped in front of his car, Olivia looked up at him, a small smile on her face. "I was her outlet, El. She lived in constant pain, and fear, and had to live with a traumatic memory. She felt that someone else needed to, I guess that someone was me because I looked...look...just like him. Things are better now."

Elliot brushed her hair behind her ear, and if he had the guts at that moment, he would have kissed her. "I know they are," he said, winking. He opened the door for her, watched her get in, and walked around to the other side, taking a deep breath. This was going to be perfect.

* * *

"So then he says, 'Do you wash your pants with Windex? Because I can see myself in them.' I was floored. He had no game. At all. I had to tell him I had a headache and leave," Olivia laughed, sipping her wine and gazing into Elliot's eyes. "In a way, you're lucky you got married young. It saved you from the pain of college dating."

"Oh, man," Elliot said, chuckling. "Was that the worst?"

"No," Olivia laughed, the laugh Elliot loved, where her head was thrown back and her eyes sparkled. "Not by a longshot!"

"I asked for the worst date, Benson," Elliot said, smirking at her. He reached for her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckled. "Don't hold back on me, baby."

Olivia chuckled and nodded. "So, uh, this one guy, shit, I forgot his name, that's how bad this was, he picks me up at my apartment...this was my junior year, right? He's got this lime-green Ford, but one door is missing. Not broken. Missing, El. Gone. So he tells me to make sure I buckle up so I don't fall out. Then he takes me to Burger City and says, 'I only have eight dollars, we have to split something."

"Classy guy," Elliot said.

"Economics major," Olivia pointed out, laughing. "Then, after I refuse to stay and eat with him, he looks me right in the eyes and says, 'Ya know, baby, the back seat's got both doors."

"He was serious?" Elliot asked. "You were blowing him off for dinner, but he thought you would stay and get back in the car..."

"Yeah," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. She took another sip of her wine and shook her head.

Elliot cleared his throat. "Okay, so, not that I really wanna hear this, but I wanna know everything. What was the, uh, best pickup line? I mean, gimme the one, single, line that a man has used that's really made you fall in love with him."

Olivia, still looking at him, without missing a beat, said, "Well, it's only really happened once. You wanna know exactly what he said?"

"Word for word," Elliot said, nodding.

Olivia took a deep breath, leaned in closer to him, and said, "Who the hell are you?"

Elliot squinted. "That made you fall in love with someone?"

Olivia chuckled. "I was sitting in a chair, behind a desk, and this incredibly gorgeous guy walked in. He wasn't expecting me to be sitting there. He looked at me and his eyes...I got so lost in his eyes...his eyes narrowed and he said, 'Who the hell are you' and glared at me."

Elliot realized. His eyes widened. "And that's when Cragen came out of his office and..."

"Introduced us," Olivia interrupted. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I can not believe I just told you that." She chuckled a bit and rolled her eyes. "I guess it's like that stupid Tom Cruise movie, ya know? You had me at hello, El."

Elliot smiled at her. "Liv, whether you believe me or not, I knew the minute I met you that you would give me trouble. I knew it would be all over for me. You broke down every wall I had, and you know things about me..."

"Your wife doesn't know," Olivia said. "I know that. We've had this conversation before."

Elliot laughed. "We have," he said. "I was gonna say...that I didn't know about myself, though. By the way, you weren't wearing those heels the last time we talked about this. I wouldn't have let you leave if you were." He winked at her and sipped his wine. "I don't really remember my dates with Kathy, but I know that this beats them all."

"Agreed," Olivia said, nodding. "Best date I have ever been on, and you drove me here in a car with all four doors."

"And I plan on at least attempting to wait until we get to an actual building before making any moves on you," Elliot teased with a wink.

"Oh, yeah," Olivia said, with an amazing smile. "Best date ever."

Elliot paid, helped Olivia out of her chair, then walked her the few blocks toward Dickie and Lizzie's school. He had purposely chosen a restaurant close enough to walk, so he could spend some time alone with her, in the cool night. He was holding her hand as they walked, admiring her figure in the outfit she wore. The perfect blend of casual and sexy and the perfect mix of woman and cop, as he knew somewhere beneath the low-cut top that hit her mid-thigh, her badge and gun were attached to her hip. He knew, because he had his on him, too. They were both never truly off-duty. "I'm having an amazing time with you," he told her, giving her hand a light squeeze. "See? I told you. This is so easy, so natural, you and I."

Olivia looked at Elliot and smiled, but her question wasn't a happy one. "How long have you and Kathy been having problems?"

"And the date is officially over," Elliot said, sighing. "Why did you have to go there?"

"I just wanna know why you didn't tell me," Olivia said. "Why you didn't talk to me."

Elliot cleared his throat. "This is gonna sound so stupid," he said. "When I'm with you, Liv, you make me forget I even have problems with Kathy. You fucking make me forget all about her, okay? I...when I am with you, I'm happy. I don't wanna ruin that by talking about things that aren't happy. We talk about work for an hour or two, and then it's just us, and it's so goddamn easy to just be...us." He closed his eyes and swallowed. "Fourteen years," he said.

Olivia furrowed her brow. "But Maureen is only four..."

"I know," Elliot said. "What does that tell you, Liv? We were fucked right from the start. We shouldn't have kept trying," he told her, admitting it more to himself than to her. "Everyone kept telling us we were. Our friends, our families, especially our parents, but...I didn't want to fail. I have never failed with you, though. And...I never will, Liv."

They turned into the gate, heading into the field, and found an impatient-looking Kathy standing next to the bleachers. Sitting were fourteen-year-old Maureen, twelve-year-old Kathleen, and nine-year-old Lizzie. Olivia, unsure if Kathy had already seen it, dropped Elliot's hand.

"Thank God," Kathy spat, vacating her spot near the kids and the bleachers. "I thought you would never get here. Tell him I love him. Wish him luck for me, Elliot. I wish I could say it's nice to see you, Olivia."

Olivia tilted her head. "I wish I could say the same," she said. "I'm very mad at you at the moment."

"I know you are," Kathy said. She kissed her three, sitting children on their heads, grabbed her bag and ran out.

Maureen looked up at her father. She blinked once, looking from him to Olivia. "Is it Friday yet?"

"No, honey," Elliot said, laughing. He sat next to Lizzie on the end, and Olivia scooted next to him. Taking a chance, he wrapped his arm around her waist. He smiled as he felt Olivia scootch closer to him, leaning into him instead of away from him. He was even more surprised when he felt her head drop to his shoulder.

Olivia sighed. "You were right, El," she said.

"About what?" Elliot asked, trying to get the attention of the guy walking through the stands, selling snacks.

"This is so much easier than I though it would be," Olivia said. "I thought I would be worried, afraid, nervous...I thought I'd try to run...but this just feels so..."

Elliot nudged his shoulder to get her head up and cupped her chin, and he forced her to look at him. "Perfect," he said, smiling.

"Yeah," Olivia said, her voice in a whisper as her eyes, as they did the very first time she saw him, melted into his.

Elliot pulled her face toward his and met little resistance. Their lips touched and a whole new world began with one, small, simple, kiss.

Dickie, watching it happen, grinned as he hit the ball with his bat, with more determination than ever, and sent it flying out of the park. He ran around the bases and hopped back onto home plate, taking another look at his dad and Olivia. Their foreheads were touching, they were smiling, but their eyes were on him. They were proud and clapping. He waved. They waved back. Dickie wasn't sure, but something new was coming. His life had just changed and he knew it was gonna be so much better. Or, at least, he hoped it would be.

**A/N: More? Continue? What happens after the game? What happens when Kathy leaves, IF she leaves? Review here, or leave a tweet on Twitter. Follow** **TMG212 **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: After the ballgame, Elliot and Kathy have a heart-to-heart. Does she leave? Does she decide to stay? What happens with Olivia, then?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

"Kiddo, three home-runs!" Elliot beamed at his son, scruffing his hair as they walked to his car. "I'm absolutely amazed! That was the best game I've ever seen you play!"

Dickie gave him a shy smile and kicked the dirt under his feet. "Thanks, Dad. I'm really glad you and Liv came together."

"We always do," Olivia said, smiling at the boy.

"Yeah but this time," Dickie said, not sure if he should say it, "You looked...like you were really together, that's all. It made me really wanna play hard. Make you both really proud."

Elliot looked at Olivia and he swore he saw her blush. "Well, kid, uh, Liv and I...might be...together."

"Really?" Maureen cried happily.

Lizzie looked up at her father expectantly. "Is she coming to Disney with us?"

Olivia looked at the little girl with a raised eyebrow. "Lizzie-Bear, no one said anything about..."

"Yeah," Elliot said, laughing. "She's coming to Disneyland with us." He looked over at Olivia again, winked and smiled, and as the kids piled into the SUV, he knew he had to make sure things with Kathy ended, once and for all, tonight.

* * *

"Why couldn't Olivia sleepover?" Kathleen asked, rubbing her eyes as she padded out of the kitchen, handing her father the empty milk glass she had.

Maureen nodded in agreement, following her with a yawn. "It's not a school night."

"It's a work night, though," Elliot said. "Liv and I have to get up at the crack of dawn, and the last thing Olivia needs is you girls keeping her up watching that stupid vampire, werewolf, high-school movie again," he laughed. He picked the two blondes up over his shoulders and spun them around, making them laugh.

Kathy, smiling at the scene from the kitchen doorway, sighed as Elliot dropped them to their feet and kissed them on the forehead.

"Go to bed, guys," Elliot told them. "I promise, I will bring Liv here after work, and you can torture her with some poorly scripted movie then, okay?"

"Okay," Maureen grumbled, plodding up the stairs.

"Goodnight, slugger," Elliot called up to Dickie who was at the top of the stairs.

Dickie smiled down at him. "Night, Dad," he said.

Elliot sighed as the girls headed up stairs, and without even looking at her he said, "Kathy, tell me the truth."

"About what?" Kathy asked, finally stepping into the living room from the kitchen.

"You aren't leaving me because we don't talk anymore, and you sure as hell aren't leaving because you don't want those kids," Elliot said, sitting on the couch. "It is impossible to look at them, to know them, and not love them." He ran a hand down his face and said, "You think I've given up on you, because you think...you know...about Olivia."

Kathy was silent. "Elliot, I don't wanna fight with you."

"We're not fighting, we're talking. And I need you to listen to me," Elliot said, looking into her eyes for the first time in what seemed like years. "I didn't give up, Kathy. Not until you did. I fought like hell, and I didn't even consider falling in love with Liv until you made it perfectly clear you didn't want this life with me, this marriage anymore."

"Come off it, Elliot," Kathy spat in a harsh whisper. "You fell in love with her the minute you met."

"No, Kathy," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I knew that I was probably going to, because you were already pushing me away, but I fought it. I fought it with everything I had." He bit his lip and shook his head, shrugging. "For years, even before Olivia, you have been blaming my job for this marriage falling apart, blaming me, making me feel like I've been committing some kind of serious crime by doing what I promised myself I would spend my life doing. When Liv came along, I finally had someone who understood, who wanted it as much as I did, who really got me and who supported me, the way you...the way my wife was supposed to."

"I thought you said you didn't want to fight," Kathy said, dropping into the lounge chair across from him.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "I'm not fighting, I'm talking. Kathy, I have supported you in everything you've done. Nursing school, then the year you took off to write the novel that you never finished, then art school, all of it, and I never, ever, complained about you neglecting the kids, or me, even though you were. Shit, Kathy, I would have walked out on this and you a long time ago if I didn't love you so fucking much."

"What are you saying?" Kathy asked. "You don't want me to leave?"

"Oh, I want you to leave," Elliot said, "But before you do, I want you to understand that you are the one walking away, not me. Kathy, you are leaving, you are choosing to leave your husband and your kids, you were wrong. And because you were wrong, you gave me the freedom and the desire and the opportunity to prove you right."

Kathy hung her head and said, "I'm leaving because you spent fourteen years trapped in this...the only word for it is 'lie', Elliot, and you deserve better. You think I don't know that you sacrificed your happiness to be the best possible husband and father you could be? You believed in me, and I couldn't...I never did the same for you. I was selfish, and I wanted all of your attention. When I didn't get it, I got mad and when I did, I was ungrateful. I was neglectful, I know that. I know that!" She felt a tear running down her cheek. "I was doing everything I could to drive you away and you just wouldn't give up! You and your goddamned morals, and unwillingness to fail at this," she chuckled with a sniffle. "Does she make you happy, Elliot?"

"Kathy, happy doesn't begin to describe it," Elliot said, unable to control the smile creeping across his face.

"You wanna be with her, don't you?" Kathy asked, tilting her head. "I mean, right now."

Elliot took a slow breath and exhaled. "I would spend every minute with her if I could."

"Then go," Kathy said, rubbing her hands on her knees. "I'll stay here. I'll stay with the kids tomorrow, and leave when you come home from work. Tell her how you feel, Elliot. Go start your new life."

Elliot gave Kathy a grateful look, grabbed his jacket and his keys, and said, "Goodbye, Kathy."

"Goodbye, Elliot," Kathy said, another tear falling. She watched him walk out the door and she let out the breath she was holding. "I really did love you once," she whispered to no one, wiping her eyes, letting him go.

* * *

Olivia's head rolled and her eyes squinted and fluttered. She groaned as the knocking persisted, and she threw the blanket off of her body, getting off of the couch. "Really?" she grumbled, reaching for her gun. She walked toward the door, looked through the peephole, and sighed, her gun falling to her side. She unlocked and opened the door, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "I saw you, what, three hours ago? Did Cragen call? Did we catch a..."

"No," Elliot interrupted, the smirk stuck on his face. "Can I come in?"

Olivia's eyebrows moved up in surprise and she stepped to the side, opening the door wider. "You here to renege on your offer to take me to Disneyland?" she asked, teasing.

"No," Elliot replied, taking off his jacket and tossing it on her chair. He sat on her couch and twisted his hands together, unsure of what exactly he was doing. "Why were you sleeping on the couch?" he asked, noticing her pillow and crumpled blanket. "And why are all of the windows open?"

"Go spend five seconds in my bedroom without sweating your ass off," Olivia scoffed. "I dare you." She sat next to him and said, "The heat in this place went haywire. It's on full blast in the bedroom and I can't turn it off. It feels like fucking Africa in there."

Elliot laughed. "I can take a look at it for you," he offered.

"It's okay, El," Olivia said, pulling her feet up to get comfortable. "You didn't come all the way out here from Queens to play maintenance man. What do you want?"

"Nice," Elliot laughed. He looked at her and he choked. Her hair was up in a ponytail, she was in a tank top and sweats, she was makeup free. So different from how she had looked only an hour and a half ago, but just as gorgeous. "I wanted to be with you," he said to her. "That's all."

Olivia smirked at him. "And you couldn't wait a few hours until we got to work?" she asked. "I would have brought you coffee." She elbowed him playfully and laughed a bit.

Elliot chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. "I can't do this at work, Liv," he said quietly, turning to look at her. He looked down and saw her looking back up at him. There was a moment of tension, and then a simultaneous breath from both of them as Elliot bent his head. "Can't do this either," he whispered, inching toward her.

Their lips met, and Olivia's hands moved to Elliot's face. She was surprised at how much softer his lips felt now, how much softer he seemed as a whole. She caressed his cheek, marveling at the smoothness of his skin, the closeness of his shave. She wondered where the rough, rugged, tough Elliot from work, the monster she knew and loved was, but she didn't really care. She loved both of them, and would take either of them.

Elliot dropped his other arm from the back of the couch and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer. He ran his tongue over her lips, slowly, asking her permission to make this kiss something more.

Olivia moved one hand from his face to his shoulder and squeezed, as the kiss deepened she let out a very small, very soft moan, and her mind went blank for a moment.

Elliot was barely breathing. He had never felt so much from one single, silent kiss before, and he hated to see it end, but he had to pull away. He needed air.

Olivia gasped quietly for air as her forehead pressed against his. "El," she whispered.

"Liv," Elliot said in return, running one hand up and down her back.

Olivia shook her head, their foreheads rubbing together, and she tried to catch her breath. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?" she asked.

"I was gonna ask you that," Elliot chuckled. "I guess, uh, that was a first for both of us, huh?" he said, giving her neck a nudge with his nose.

Olivia nodded, feeling him pull her closer to him. "What's happening here, El?" she asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Something that should have happened a long time ago," Elliot said. "We're making ourselves, and each other, happy." He kissed her forehead, the her nose, then looked her in the eyes for a moment before kissing her lips.

"We are, aren't we?" Olivia figured, smiling at him.

Elliot nodded with a smug grin. "Just one problem," he said.

"What's that?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow. "Kathy's not leaving?"

"No, no, she's leaving tomorrow night," Elliot assured her. "But, uh, I came over here to spend the night with you, thinking I would take the couch." He raised an eyebrow at her.

Olivia rolled her eyes and chuckled softly, then moved to allow Elliot to lean back. He rested his head on the pillow and then waited, his body twitching and his heart pounding as Olivia maneuvered herself against him. She finally found a spot, fitting against him perfectly, and pulled the blanket halfway over them, not needed much coverage due to the broken heat.

"Liv?" Elliot questioned, kissing the top of her head as he held her tight.

"Hmmm?" Olivia hummed in comfortable response.

Elliot let out a pensive breath. "Come home with me after work tomorrow," he said, a demand not a question. "I want you with me and the kids when she leaves. The kids will take it better if you're there."

"I'll be there," Olivia told him.

"Thanks," Elliot said, smiling. "Oh, one more thing."

"What?" Olivia asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

Elliot looked at her and his heart stopped as the words "I love you" left his mouth.

Olivia smiled. "I love you," she said, surprised at how quickly and easily the response had flown out. "Are we really going to Disneyland?"

Elliot kissed her again and said, "Liv, I think it is my duty as the man who loves you to take you to the happiest place on Earth."

Olivia knew what he meant, but she smirked and said, "I told you the heat in there is..."

"Liv!" Elliot laughed, interrupting her, unable to recall ever being this happy. "Go to sleep."

"Only if you do," Olivia yawned, cuddling and snuggling into him.

Elliot tucked his arms and legs around her, ensuring they were both securely on the couch. "I'm halfway there," he whispered. "Kiss me goodnight."

Olivia lifted her head a bit and pressed her lips to his, her heart leaping, still getting used to the shock of being with him this way. She pulled away from him and they were both smiling. Elliot slept soundly knowing that he had his new life and new love in his hands, and he wasn't letting go anytime soon.

**A/N: After work, how does Kathy handle really leaving for good? What do the kids say? How does Olivia handle the awkward situation, and what Kathy says to Olivia might be surprising! Interested? Lemme know here, or there's this newfangled thingy on the internet called Twitter! I have one! TMG212!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: After work, how does Kathy handle really leaving for good? What do the kids say? How does Olivia handle the awkward situation, and what Kathy says to Olivia might be surprising! **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

"Here ya go, jefe," Elliot said, plopping a file into Cragen's lap.

Cragen, who was sitting on the edge of Munch's desk with a Red Vine in his mouth, looked down, then back up. "What is it?" he asked, chewing.

"DNA and fingerprints hit on the same guy," Olivia said, sipping the coffee she'd bought from the cart on the way in, leaning against Elliot's desk.

Munch sighed and said, "You know, you two waste so much money on coffee. Guys, we have a coffee pot right over there."

"And when someone other than you makes the coffee in the pot, I'll drink it," Olivia said, winking at the aging man.

Cragen, reading the file, said, "Okay, so which one of you is gonna go find Mister Sedarsky?"

Cassidy took the file out of his hands and said, "Hey, Benson. Wanna come with me?"

Olivia shot him a look and said, "Why don't you take your own partner?"

Cassidy rolled his eyes and walked over to her, reaching for and then grabbing her hand. "Come on, Olivia, you can't just..."

"They just got back," Cragen said. "I think that was her way of telling you she was tired, Cassidy."

Cassidy looked into her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it," he spat. He dropped her hand and turned to Munch. "Let's go," he said.

Munch squeezed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Wonderful, I get to drive across town with Mister Lovesick. I understand, and appreciate, your refusal to date people you work with, Benson," he said, "But could you also try to keep them from falling in love with you. It's damn annoying." He got up and followed Cassidy out, listening to the slight chuckles of his colleagues as he went.

Olivia looked at Cragen and said, "Thanks," as she got up and settled herself in her seat.

"Is there anything I should know, Olivia?" Cragen asked, tilting his head. "Why he's so hung up on you?"

Olivia shook her head. "Nope," she said. She sipped her coffee and added, "I wish he'd get over it though."

Cragen smirked. "Yeah, because I'm sure he's the only one in this unit who's in love with you," he said. He held out the bucket of red licorice to a now wide-eyed Elliot and said, "You really should have one. They calm the nerves."

Elliot took a piece and sat in his chair. "Thanks, jefe," he said, biting into it, wondering what Cragen meant by that last statement.

"Finish your 'fives and go home," Cragen said, tossing a piece of licorice to Olivia, then he turned and walked toward his office.

"Do you think he knows?" Elliot asked, chewing on his Red Vine.

"Knows? No," Olivia said. "But I'm sure he, like everyone else in the precinct, thinks about it." She smirked and chuckled as she began typing. "You think Cassidy and Munch will be pissed that we did all the footwork on this case, and they're gonna be stuck with the interrogation and paperwork when they get back?"

"I feel bad for Munch," Elliot said, "But I just...really don't care about Cassidy." He whipped the remains of his licorice at her.

Olivia looked up at him, after the candy hit her, and she smirked. "Oh, you are five years old." She took her uneaten piece and whipped it at him, nailing him in the forehead. "You wanna gimme a hand with this thing so we can get outta here?"

"Man, you are eager to watch Kathy walk outta my life, aren't you?" Elliot teased. The truth was, no one was more eager for that marriage to be truly over than he was.

* * *

Elliot opened the door to his house, slowly, and was unsurprised to see all four of his kids on the couch, staring at Kathy.

"He's home," Maureen said, biting her lip.

Kathleen said, "He brought Liv."

"So you can leave now," Maureen spat, folding her arms.

Only Lizzie and Dickie, the young twins, looked confused. "I still don't get it," Lizzie said. "What did we do?"

Dickie looked at his sister and said, "It wasn't us, Lizzie. I think it's just her."

"Okay," Kathy said, rubbing her eyes, "I can't do this!" She stood up and turned to face Elliot. "Tell me to stay, tell me there's a way to work this out."

"I've been telling you that for fourteen years, Kathy," Elliot said. "I'm not gonna do it anymore. I'm done. You know I'm done."

Kathy squeezed her eyes shut and turned back to her children. "Guys, tell your dad you don't want me to go." She begged, falling to her knees in front of the couch.

"We have never lied to Daddy," Maureen said.

"We're not gonna start now," Kathleen said with folded arms, finishing her sister's thought.

"Besides," Lizzie said, "If you leave, then Liv can come to Disney."

"She was gonna come anyway," Dickie said, looking up at Olivia. "Right?"

Kathy turned and looked at Olivia. "You," she said, sniffling. "Olivia Benson, your name has left my husband's mouth more often than mine has."

Olivia shrugged. "He was probably just trying to find a more exciting topic of conversation," she said, her attitude getting the best of her.

Kathy scoffed. "You were on his mind, and in his heart, more than I was. You are a much bigger part of his life than I am. I'm his wife, Olivia!" she yelled.

"You're leaving!" Olivia yelled back. "Look around you, Kathy! This house, this man, those beautiful kids! That was all yours. Yours! God, two days ago I was sitting on your couch wondering what the hell was wrong with you, because you looked so fucking unhappy in all of the pictures, and you were never anywhere near him, but now I know. You didn't want what most women...what I would kill for!"

Elliot stepped between the women and looked at Olivia. "Calm down," he whispered to her. "She's going. Just let her go."

"You're right, Olivia," Kathy said. "I didn't want it, I still don't. I want them to want it, though. I wanted to know that they'd be affected by my leaving, but it seems, once again, you come before me."

"Yeah," Elliot said. "I think the person who actually loves me and my kids should come first."

Kathy glared at him for a moment, then looked over his shoulder at Olivia. "You want him? You can have him," she said. Then she sighed. "Please, don't hurt him like I have. And take care of my kids, Olivia." She took three steps toward the door, grabbed her bags, and said, "Goodbye."

"Bye," Maureen said, not waving.

Kathleen waved a bit and said, "Bye, Mom."

Lizzie and Dickie, waving, said nothing.

Elliot held the door for her, then slammed it when she was down the steps. As soon as the lock was turned, the four kids were off the couch and wrapped around Elliot and Olivia. "Guys," Elliot said, kissing each child on the head, "It's gonna be okay. We're all gonna be okay."

"We know," Maureen said, sniffling.

Kathleen, who was hugging Olivia, looked up at her. "Are you really gonna take care of us now?"

Maureen looked over at her Twelve year old sister and laughed through her tears. "Katie," she said, "Olivia's been taking care of us since we met her."

Olivia looked up and caught Elliot's eyes. He smiled at her and nodded once, then said, "You know Olivia is always gonna be here for you guys. She's gonna help me take care of you."

"And you, right Daddy?" Lizzie asked, wiping her eyes. "She'll take care of you, too?"

Elliot smiled as his youngest daughter. "Yeah, sweetie. She's gonna take care of me, too."

"Good," Lizzie said. She looked up at Olivia and said, "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around Olivia's leg and squeezed

Olivia held the two girls close, and sighed as a tear rolled down her cheek. "You know I love you guys. You don't have to thank me for that, ever."

* * *

It took an hour, but the children calmed down, then Olivia got them all to take their showers and baths and get into bed. She was walking down the stairs and her breath hitched; Elliot was staring at a photo of himself and Kathy and the kids. The one that Olivia had been staring at two days ago, that sat on the fireplace. She watched as he turned it over, sliding the metal brackets and pulling off the back. He took out the photos, there were two, and he flipped the front one to the back, then replaced them. He put the back of the frame back on, making sure the sliders were in place, then put the frame back on the mantle. She inhaled sharply as she saw the new picture. Elliot, with _her _and the kids, at Munch's Fourth of July Picnic. She had one arm around him and the other around Kathleen. The other kids were in the middle, posing happily.

"That's what a family picture is supposed to look like," Elliot said, not looking at her, but knowing she was there. "There's one like that behind every photo in this room."

"Like what?" Olivia asked, coming all the way down the stairs and walking over to him.

Elliot took her hand and led her to the wall by the door. He took down the painfully forced photo of him and Kathy at one of her hospital functions, opened the back, and flipped the order of the pictures. When he sealed it and hung it back up, it was a picture of him and Olivia at a policemen's gala. They were posed in some silly "Charlie's Angels" manner, back to back with their fingers held like guns, pointing in the air, and semi-serious, smirking expressions on their faces. "Like this," he said, shrugging. "When we hung these pictures, I found one of you and me, and some of us and the kids, that just felt more real. I put them in the frames, too, so at least I knew they were here." He looked at her and asked, "Is it wrong of me to want these here, now? I mean, she just left, like two hours ago, and..."

"She has been gone for years, El," Olivia said. "This is your house now. Put up whatever you want."

Elliot smiled at her. "This one," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her toward the far wall, "Might surprise you." He took a frame off of the wall, opened the back, and took out the photos. He switched them, and replaced the photo, then looked at Olivia to gauge her reaction.

Olivia gasped. "When...how did you even..."

Elliot interrupted her. "I came home and saw you guys like that, and I had to take a picture. I turned the flash off, and when I had it developed I had them convert it to black and white."

Olivia looked up at the picture of her, asleep on the couch, with Lizzie and Dickie curled up on either side of her. Maureen was asleep sitting upright on the floor, her head resting against Olivia's shoulder. Kathleen was asleep on the other end of the couch with her head in Olivia's lap. They all had peaceful smiles on their faces. It was truly a beautiful picture. She glanced at Elliot and he was transfixed by the photo. That's when she asked, "How's next week sound to you?"

"What?" Elliot asked. "For what?"

Olivia looked at him, hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck. "Lizzie wants Disney," she said, looking from him to the picture on the wall, "And I think you need some new family pictures."

"Liv," Elliot said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close, "I love you."

Olivia scratched the back of his neck lightly, her heart stopping when she heard those words leave his lips. "I love you, too," she whispered, still not entirely convinced she was saying them. "That's scary," she laughed.

"What?" Elliot asked, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to her neck.

"El, I couldn't tell a man I'd been dating for almost a year that I loved him," Olivia said. "I just told you I loved you, which made it the, what, fifth time today?"

Elliot laughed and nibbled on her neck a bit. "Told you," he mumbled against her skin. He pulled back and looked at her. "Real, honest, loyal love is easy. I'm scared out of my mind, too, Liv. You think I don't know what happens if we screw this up?" He moved one hand from her lower back and pointed to the photo on the wall. "That's how I know that we're not going to, though."

Olivia chuckled. "How, exactly?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Because," Elliot said, pulling Olivia toward his bedroom. "You have been married to me, and mothering my kids, for the last year and half," he said. "You just didn't know it." He stopped just outside the bedroom door and tilted his head. "We should sleep on the couch," he said.

"What? Why?" Olivia scoffed.

"Because until I either change the sheets or get a new bed, we'd both be sleeping in the bed Kathy has been sleeping in." Elliot held up a hand and said, "Granted, she was sleeping alone, but the thought is still..."

"Couch it is," Olivia interrupted, tossing off her blazer.

Elliot groaned slightly, seeing her take it off, and pulled her down on top of him. "We can do this, Liv," he whispered, kissing her. "We are doing this."

"Yeah," Olivia said, kissing him. She pulled back and nuzzled his nose. "We are," she whispered, getting off of him to go change. Before she reached his bedroom, though, her cell phone rang. "Benson," she spat, her voice taking on it's professional tone. "Cassidy I rteally don't...all right, all right. I'll be there in twenty minutes." She hung up and smirked. "But Im bringing Elliot with me," she said, looking at him. "We gotta go."

"Where? Why?" Elliot asked.

"Cassidy's at a crime scene, and Munch is apparently still dealing with Sedarsky," Olivia told him. "He called me, wants me to go help him. But I'm your partner..."

"And girlfriend," Elliot said, getting off of the couch. "No way are you working alone with him."

"I know, hence I said you were coming with me." Olivia pulled her blazer on, and then looked up at Elliot. "Who's gonna watch the kids?"

Elliot grabbed his keys and said, "My next-door neighbor's always willing," he said. "She's amazing. You're gonna love her. Just, uh, make sure you make it very clear that you're my girlfriend, and be very touchy-feely when I introduce you."

"Why?" Olivia asked, confused, as they walked out of the house.

"Because, Liv, she's a lesbian," Elliot said, "And she has been waiting a very long time to meet the hot, sexy, bad-ass partner I keep talking about."

**A/N: Next chap: Olivia meets the neighbor, the case with Cassidy, and asking Cragen for the same week off sparks some rumors. How will they clear them up? Wanna know? Leave a message here, or tell me on Twitter: TMG212**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Olivia meets the neighbor, the case with Cassidy, and asking Cragen for the same week off sparks some rumors. How will they clear them up? And who does the clearing up?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

"Elliot," the stunning redhead who opened the door said brightly. Then she noticed Olivia. "Woah, who is she? And is she a gift?"

Elliot chuckled. "No, Lisa, this is Olivia," he said, making sure his arm was firmly wrapped around her waist.

"Ah," Lisa said, smirking. "The infamous Olivia Benson. Elliot, you lied to me."

Elliot furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. "About what?" he asked, "When?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes. "You said she was gorgeous, you lied. She is...beyond gorgeous," she said, trailing her eyes up and down Olivia's body. "She is a stone-cold fox."

"Uh, thank you?" Olivia aid, more of a question, as her left hand moved to Elliot's chest.

Lisa laughed. "Oh, it was definitely a compliment. What brings the two of you over here at midnight?" she asked, smirking. "You finally coming over to share..."

"No," Elliot interrupted with a laugh, trying not to growl. Olivia was running her nails of her other hand up and down his back, and it was driving him crazy. "Can you go over and watch the kids? We got a call and..."

"Yeah," Lisa said, stopping him. She reached over and grabbed her jacket off of a hook, and stepped out onto the stoop with them. She then turned her gaze back toward Olivia and licked her lips. "And instead of paying me, you could always just let me spend a night with your, uh, partner."

"Okay," Olivia said, wide-eyed and eager to leave, "We gotta go, El."

Elliot and Lisa laughed at her sudden attempt to leave, and Elliot kissed her, slow and deep, as Lisa watched. "Don't let her get to you," he whispered, kissing her again. "She's harmless."

Olivia smirked against her lips. "Who?" she said, kissing him again.

Elliot chuckled, knowing she meant that she'd forgotten all about Lisa, and he took her hand. "Thanks, Lisa," he said to the redhead who was walking toward his house as they walked toward the car.

"Anytime," Lisa said, smirking. "But next time, I get to babysit Benson."

Elliot laughed and rolled his eyes, saw the look on Olivia's face, and got into the car. He knew that if anyone was going to babysit Olivia, it was him.

* * *

"What have we got?" Olivia asked, walking up to Cassidy and snapping on a latex glove.

Cassidy turned, smiling at the sound of her voice, and he said, "Sixteen-year-old." He stepped closer to her, taking a deep breath and getting a good dose of her lavender-vanilla scent, and something else he couldn't quite place. "Raped and murdered, thrown out like yesterday's trash." He pointed to the body, lying in a pile of black, plastic garbage bags.

"Jesus," Olivia mumbled.

Cassidy took another deep breath, getting closer to her. "Olivia, are you wearing...cologne?"

Olivia smirked. She smelled like Elliot. "No," she said, shaking her head. "But he is, and I've been with him all day," she said, jutting her thumb to her right.

"Stabler!" Cassidy yelped. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Elliot folded his arms and cleared his throat. "Liv called, said we had a case."

Cassidy turned back to Olivia and spat, "Christ, you couldn't just work this one with me? Leave him out of it for once?"

"He's my partner," Olivia said. "Unless Cragen sends us to different places, I'm obligated to call..."

Cassidy leaned into her and lowered his voice. "I wanted to spend some time alone with you, Olivia. Work the case, go home, have a drink or two, maybe..."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Olivia said, rolling her eyes, walking toward the medical examiner.

Cassidy sped up to catch up to her and asked, "Why not? I thought we were doing pretty good, Liv."

"First off, you don't call me 'Liv,' got it?" Olivia demanded, glaring at him. She watched his eyes flicker and he nodded. "Secondly, we had one night, that's it. All I wanted it to be, it wasn't personal, it wasn't the start of beautiful relationship, it was just one night. Get over it."

"Wow," Cassidy said, shocked, but then he smirked. "You really enjoy playing these games don't you? Pretending you don't want me? Making me chase you?"

Olivia scoffed and grew irritated. "I'm not pretending!" she yelled, alerting Elliot and Melinda Warner to what was going on. They had a little audience now. "I don't want you, I want you to stop fucking chasing me! I'm seeing someone!"

Cassidy's face fell, he went completely white, and he said, "Who?"

Olivia sighed. "No one you know," she lied. "And you're not gonna meet him, so don't even ask."

"Has Elliot met him?" Cassidy asked, bitterly.

Elliot, standing behind him, said, "No, I haven't. If she won't introduce him to me, then she's definitely not..."

"Shut up, Stabler," Cassidy barked. He looked at Olivia, shook his head, and said, "This isn't over. Not by a long shot." He walked toward Melinda, with an obvious chip on his shoulder.

"He took that well," Elliot said, with a smug grin.

Olivia chuckled. "You do know this means now you can't kiss..."

"Couldn't anyway, Liv," Elliot interrupted. "Too risky." He nudged her with his elbow and they walked toward Melinda and Cassidy, wanting to get this over with fast.

* * *

Olivia and Elliot walked out of the interrogation room, both fuming, and Elliot was rubbing his knuckles.

"Damn it, Stabler," Olivia yelled. "You don't think!"

"Oh, right, like I was the only one getting pissed off in there, Benson?" Elliot hit back. "You were about to hit something yourself, so don't give me that 'control your temper' shit," he yelled.

"You dented the goddamned table, Elliot!" Olivia threw at him, her arms flying. "You scared the shit out of him, and now he wants his lawyer, and his mommy!"

Elliot smirked evilly at her. "And you trying to seduce a confession out him was working? You were giving him a heart-attack," he said with a clenched jaw.

"Hey!" Cragen yelled. "Do you two need a time out?"

Munch laughed, shaking his head. "Hey, Cap, you know they always get like this after a particularly tense interrogation. They need to blow off a little steam."

Cassidy smirked. "Only tonight, apparently, Benson's gonna go home and blow off steam with her mystery boyfriend instead of hanging out here in the gym with the punching bag. Or me."

"Oh, fuck you, Cassidy," Olivia yelled.

"Already did that, Benson," Cassidy said harshly.

Elliot, still pissed off from the interrogation, walked over to him and lifted him up by the collar. "If you ever, ever, talk to her or about her like that again, I will kill you."

Cragen's voice boomed through the air, "Stabler! Put him down! Now!"

Elliot growled and bared his teeth, like a wolf would, and he saw Cassidy's eyes widen, he saw the fear in Cassidy's eyes and he smirked, dropping him into the chair. "You're damn lucky Cragen stopped me."

"Benson," Cragen said, looking at Olivia, angry, "My office! Now!"

Olivia closed her eyes, then opened them, looking at Elliot. She shook her head and bit her lip as she followed Cragen into his office.

Elliot looked back down at Cassidy and said, "If you just cost her her job, I swear to God, no one will find your body." He ran over to the office door, and without knocking, he walked in. "Cap," he said, "Cassidy was just talking out of his ass! Olivia would never..."

"Stabler, please," Cragen spat, "I'm not an idiot. I know what's going on with my detectives. Cassidy's having a problem letting go. This is all on him. Besides, I only called her in here because I just got request forms from both of you." He held up two sheets of paper and cleared his throat. "Why do you both need next week off?"

"Oh, uh..." Olivia stammered, then she stopped talking, folding her arms

Cragen looked at her and said, "You know, when I got these, my first thought was that I had a horrible problem on my hands, that you two were starting something..."

Elliot ran a hand down his face and broke into his captain's speech. "I'm taking my kids to Disneyland," he said.

"California?" Cragen asked.

"Uh, yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "We've already done everything at Disneyworld, they've been to Universal eight times, I think they're sick of Florida. We just...we need to get away, Cap."

Cragen tilted his head. "What's going on with you, Elliot?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, then sighed. "Kathy left," he said. "She left last night. I'm taking my kids as far away from home as we can get, so they can..."

"Wow," Cragen said, interrupting him. "I'm sorry, Elliot. And I'm assuming Olivia knew already?"

Olivia and Elliot nodded. "She was, uh, there," Elliot said. "She knows."

Cragen nodded, pressing his lips together. "Okay, so I'm only going to ask this question once, and then I'm gonna forget the answer and approve your time off, but I need to know." He looked at Olivia sternly. "Are you going with them? You need the week off because you're going with him and his kids to the happiest fucking place on Earth?"

Olivia glanced at Elliot, who was looking away from her and staring at something on the wall. "Yeah," she said. "They just lost their mother, and you know I'm close to..."

Cragen held up a hand. "If anyone asks, Benson, you're at a convention in Chicago." He leaned over with a pen, signing both forms, and when he straightened up he said, "This is just a friendly vacation, right? There's nothing else I need to know about you two? I'm not gonna have another Cassidy on my hands?"

Elliot chuckled. "No, Cap. I swear, I will not become Cassidy. There's absolutely no danger of that happening." He smiled at Olivia, who smiled back at him, and he knew the only reason he wouldn't become like Cassidy was because he had no intention of letting Olivia go.

"Okay," Cragen said. "You're both leaving on Friday. I expect you back here the following Saturday. Don't give me any shit about being too jet-lagged to do your damned jobs, either."

Olivia laughed and nodded. "Okay," she said.

"Thanks, jefe," Elliot said, shaking his captain's hand.

"Get out of here before I change my mind," Cragen said, folding his arms. He watched them leave and shook his head. "Lord, help me," he mumbled, running a hand down his face. "What have they done?"

* * *

Elliot opened the door to his house, trying to be quiet, his hand firmly gripping Olivia's. They closed the door behind them and looked around the living room, then Elliot turned to her and pulled her close. He nuzzled her nose for a moment, then kissed her, pulling her tight, making it slow and deep, loving her.

"Wow," a voice behind them said. "You two sure know how to make people jealous."

Elliot pulled away from Olivia, turned his head, and said, "Who exactly are you jealous of, Lisa?"

Lisa slipped her jacket on, then made her way toward the door, snaking behind Olivia. She ran her hand up and down Olivia's arm, and looked at Elliot. "You," she said. "You are one lucky son of a bitch, Elliot. You have no idea what I've been thinking about since you introdiced me to her."

"All right, Lisa," Elliot said, rolling her eyes. "You've made your point." He laughed and tugged Olivia away from Lisa. "How are the kids?"

"Sleeping," Lisa said, chuckling. "They had pasta for dinner. Have you two eaten?"

"Yeah," Elliot said. "We're good."

Lisa nodded and put her hand on the door. "Good night, guys. It was definitely a pleasure to meet you, Detective Benson."

"You can call me Olivia," Olivia said with a smile. "Thanks for watching the kids."

Lisa nodded again as she left, then Olivia looked up at Elliot. "Your lesbian neighbor likes me."

"I knew she would," Elliot said with a smirk, kissing her. "She also knows that if she tries anything, I'll hurt her. We've, uh, talked about you. A lot."

Olivia tilted her head. "Really?" she asked, smirking. "What did you tell her about me?"

Elliot grabbed her hand again and led her up the stairs. "How much I wanted you, how incredible you are," he said. He stopped outside the bedroom door and said, "How much I was falling in love with you."

"Oh," Olivia said with a soft smile and bright eyes. "I love you, too, El."

Elliot kissed her. "I know you do," he said. "Stay here for a second, I'm gonna change."

"The couch?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot nodded. "Tomorrow, I'm getting a new bed." He smiled at her and walked into the bedroom, leaving Olivia to wonder what exactly was going to happen in Disneyland, and trying to contain her excitement.

**A/N: The flight to Disneyland, a phone call with Serena, and a surprise in California! Coming up, if you review, and want it. Leave a message here, or on Twitter. TMG212**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: The flight to Disneyland, a phone call with Serena, Cassidy makes a move, and the kids have a plan! But are they too late? ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

"What, exactly, is this convention for, Benson?" Cassidy asked, eyeing her suspiciously as she straightened out her desk, preparing to leave it for a week.

Olivia looked at him with a frustrated expression. "It's a seminar on victim's rights and training for detectives in the sex crimes division," she said, spouting Cragen's covering lie to him.

Cassidy's eye flickered, as they had been doing a lot lately, a small moment of bright wideness. "Do you think Cragen could get me a spot? We could go together."

"I don't wanna go as it is, Cassidy," Olivia said rolling her eyes. "The precinct could only afford to send one person, and Cragen chose me because of how I deal with victim's."

"Besides," Fin said, "An hour of training sessions with you and they'd realize you're hopeless and take your badge away, Cassidy." He laughed at his own wise-crack, then saw the look on Cassidy's face. "I was kiddin'," Fin said, falling back.

Cassidy rolled his eyes and looked back toward Olivia. He rose out of his seat, reaching for her. He ran a hand down her arm and then took her hand. No one noticed the green rising in Elliot, or the immensely evil look on his face as Cassidy looked Olivia in the eyes and said, "Call me when you land." He took her by surprise, kissing her.

Olivia, shocked and mildly disgusted, pushed him away roughly and punched him in the face. "What the hell, Cassidy?"

"Just giving you a kiss goodbye," Cassidy said, his eyes narrow as he rubbed his rapidly reddening cheek. "What's wrong with that?"

"I told you I'm seeing someone," Olivia said, wiping her mouth. She shot a glance at Elliot, who looked as if he was trying very hard not to kill Cassidy. "And I don't want you...I' don't like you the way you like me. That's what's wrong with it."

Cassidy laughed. "Games," he said with a smirk. "All just your games. Just let this happen, Olivia." He shook his head and chuckled as he walked back to his desk.

Olivia, clenching her fists, said, "Not even if you were the last man on Earth, Cassidy." She nodded goodbye to Munch and Fin, then gave Elliot a warning glare, knowing if he went after him, people would start talking. She walked out of the squad room, angry and disgusted, and Elliot silently grabbed his keys and followed her.

* * *

"Are you gonna be okay?" Elliot asked Olivia as they shoved their carry-on bags into the overhead unit.

"Yeah," Olivia said with a nod. She sat in her window seat, then turned to check on the twins behind her. "You two good?"

Lizzie smiled at her. "We're going to Disney with you and Daddy," she said. "I'm great!"

Dickie chuckled. "Yeah, Liv," he said beaming at her. "We're good over here."

Olivia smiled at the siblings, then leaned forward, poking her head between Maureen and Kathleen. "How are you guys doing?"

"This seat is so uncomfortable," Kathleen complained, "But other than that, I'm good for now. Thanks, Liv."

Maureen looked at Olivia. "I'm gonna put my earphones in, so I'm not ignoring you, I'm just not going to able to hear you.

"Okay," Olivia said. "If I need you, I'll just hit you."

"Yeah, that would be a good...hey, wait! Liv!" Maureen laughed.

Olivia laughed with her, then leaned back into her seat. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to remain calm in front of Elliot's kids. If she panicked, then they would panic, and that is that last thing she wanted. She started thinking about what this would mean for her and Elliot, how this week would change things, how it would affect the kids. His voice, though, snapped her out of her thoughts.

"I wanted to kill him," Elliot said.

Olivia's head popped up. "What? Oh, yeah, I know you did. I did, too," she said. "But you can't..."

"I know I can't," Elliot spat. "I can't, and it sucks. God, I mean, it's not like Cragen doesn't already think..."

"What he thinks and what he knows are two different things," Olivia said. "I would like to keep it that way. You saw me, El, I didn't kiss him back, and he's gonna have one hell of a black eye."

"It's not you I don't trust, here, baby," Elliot said, leaning back in his seat and linking his hand with Olivia's. "He isn't exactly taking no for an answer."

Olivia looked at their intertwined hands. Her heart fluttered and her stomach churned. This was so new, so dangerous, so exciting, and so perfect. "I can handle it," she whispered, her voice having disappeared as she tried to catch her breath.

"What's wrong?" Elliot asked, seeing the look on her face.

Olivia smiled a small, sweet smile. "This," she said, twisting their hands a bit. "If your kids see..."

"Oh, Liv," Elliot said laughing. "This is tame compared to what the kids are gonna be seeing. I know Kathy just left, but she's been gone for years. They know that. They're expecting this, and they love you, so they're gonna be okay with it."

"How do you know?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowing.

Elliot smirked. "I heard Maureen and Kathleen talking when they were packing. They're trying to devise a devious plan to get us together at Disneyland. They want us to go through the tunnel of love with them, ending up in the same seat somehow, and they think the ambiance will make us kiss in the dark and fall in love," he explained with a chuckle.

"Oh, well, who are we to deprive your children of the success of such a perfect plan?" Olivia asked with her own laugh.

Elliot wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close, and kissed her forehead. "I am already in love with you, Liv," he whispered. "Madly. And falling a little further with every second we spend together."

Olivia's eyes closed and her breath sped up, but it wasn't because they were taking off. "I love you, too," she said, trying to calm down as he pulled her to his body. She smiled as the words left her mouth, and Elliot started rubbing circles on her back. She knew then that the flight wouldn't be that long and horrifying. In fact, as she calmed herself down in Elliot's arms, and felt him kiss the top of her head, she decided the flight would be a little too short.

* * *

After a couple of hours of cuddling, sleeping, kissing, and murmuring "I love you," the plane landed. Just as they finished getting off of the plane, Olivia's phone rang.

"If this is Cassidy, I'm throwing my phone out right now," Olivia mumbled. She looked down, raised an eyebrow, and said, "It's my mother." She answered it with a quick greeting and waited. "Mom, slow down! What? No, I'm not eloping! We're just spending the week away with his kids. What? No! I am not having...will you stop...are you drinking? You're drunk. Yes, you are, Mom. Because you wouldn't ask me that unless you were." She ran a hand over her face. "Goodbye, Mom. Call me when you're sober. Bye." She pushed the button hard to end the call and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. "Damn it," she muttered.

"Honey?" Elliot questioned, raising an eyebrow as he walked with her and the kids to the baggage claim.

"My mother," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. I got that. I thought you said things were better with her," Elliot whispered, pulling her by the hand.

Olivia shrugged. "They are," she said. "She doesn't hit me anymore, and she actually makes an attempt to seem like she cares."

"I didn't know she's still drinking, though," Elliot said, squeezing her hand.

"Well, I don't really like to talk about her," Olivia said. "For obvious reasons." They watched the kids grab their bags, then grabbed their own, and headed through the security gate. They walked outside, chatting with the kids, listening to them say how much fun they were all going to have.

Elliot laughed at something Maureen said, then leaned into Olivia. "Forget about her for a week, Liv. All that matters while we're here is us. You, me, and the kids."

"Yeah," Olivia said, clutching his hand as they hit the Los Angeles air.

Elliot led his family, and Olivia, to the shuttle, and got them settled in their seats. "We have a suite at the Grand Californian," he said, sliding closer to Olivia. "Two bedrooms."

"Wow, Daddy!" Lizzie cried. "We're staying in Disney?"

"Yes, pumpkin," Elliot laughed. "We are. We're gonna stop at the rental place, get an SUV, and drive into Anaheim, get dinner, then we're going..."

"To Disney!" Lizzie yelled, waving her large, stuffed Mickey Mouse in the air.

Olivia and Elliot laughed at her, beaming with parental pride, even though she wasn't Olivia's daughter. "She's adorable," Olivia whispered to Elliot.

"She gets it from you," Elliot whispered back. Then he looked at her, seeing the funny expression on her face. He laughed. "I mean, she's happier when she's around you. We all are." He leaned into her, smiling, and kissed her very chastely on the lips.

They both heard the kids gasp, then heard them laugh. "Oh, yeah," Maureen said, in what she thought was a quiet whisper, to Kathleen. "This is gonna be so easy."

Elliot smirked at Olivia, who smiled back. They laughed and kissed again. Yeah. It was going to be very easy.

**A/N: Their first night in Disneyland brings a surprise! But what is it? Oh, my! Review to find out! Here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Their first day in Disneyland brings a surprise! But what is it?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and SVU's characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

"Come on, Dad!" Dickie yelled, pulling him down the center of the walkway. "We wanna go on this ride!"

Elliot gave Olivia a look and a smirk as he said, "Dickie, kid, why do you want to go into the Tunnel of Love?"

"Uh, our feet hurt? And it's really hot out here, and on this ride we can sit and stay in a nice, cool, dark, tunnel and get splashed with water! It's, uh, relaxing! Yeah, that's it!"

Olivia chuckled. "Kid's got a point, El."

Maureen nodded excitedly. "It's hot, and we've been standing for a while. The line for that last ride was so long, Daddy! Come on!"

"Okay, okay," Elliot said, with a fake roll of his eyes. He waited in the line with them, then nodded at the man at the entrance. He looked down at his kids and said, "Go on and get in the...wow, uh, you all just jumped right into the thing, huh?" He looked at Olivia again, then looked back at his kids. "Where do you suggest Liv and I sit?"

Kathleen pointed to the swan-shaped cart behind them "More than one of these, ya know," she said with a smile.

Olivia shrugged, getting into the cart with help from Elliot, and they watched as the kids car floated into the tunnel. "They think they're so slick," Elliot whispered, wrapping his arms around Olivia as they, too, entered the dark tunnel.

"They get it from their father," Olivia said.

"Excuse me?" Elliot laughed.

Olivia scoffed. "Like you weren't thrilled to death with the idea of getting me alone in a dark...what are you doing?"

"Being slick," Elliot whispered, his fingers climbing up her back, under her shirt, as he pulled her closer. He touched noses with her, nuzzling just a bit, then tilted his head and kissed her. His hands roamed her back, feeling her skin, and he got a little cheeky when he snapped her bra.

Olivia smacked him in the arm playfully, laughing as she continued kissing him. "Ass," she mumbled against his lips.

"Yeah," Elliot whispered into the kiss. He moved from her lips to her neck, kissing, biting, sucking, back to kissing, even licking a smooth trail from behind her ear to her collar bone and back. It was heating up fast and they were both thanking God they were in the dark.

* * *

"Can you see anything?" Maureen asked, craning her neck around.

"Yes, because I'm superhuman and can totally see in the dark," Kathleen spat. "You dope, it's pitch black in here except for the incredibly dim headlights on the carts. I can only see their light and the backs of the heads of the people in front of us."

Dickie chuckled. "Yeah, the guy in front of us has a reflective head."

"Can you please stop staring at Mister Clean up there and help us figure out if Dad and Liv are kissing yet?" Maureen asked her brother.

Lizzie, holding on to her logic, simply smirked. "Do you hear them laughing?" she asked.

"No," Kathleen said.

"Do you hear them telling us to stop talking about them?" Lizzie asked again.

Maureen tilted her head. "No," she said.

"Has Daddy told the two of you to turn around and sit down yet?" Lizzie questioned.

"No," Kathleen said. "What's your point, four-eyes?"

Lizzie pushed her glasses up proudly. "They aren't looking at us, meaning they aren't facing forward, meaning they probably aren't paying any attention to anything but each other."

"They're kissing," all four kids said at once.

* * *

Olivia tried not to moan, finding it hard as Elliot's hand continued to explore her body. "El," she whispered, "Slow down."

"Can't," Elliot whispered back. "Ride's almost over. Nowhere near finished with you yet." His hand, in her pants, continued stroking over her satin-covered slit, and he softly moaned with his lips pressed to the skin of her neck. "Liv," he whispered, "I love you." He chuckled lightly, trying not to moan or curse, as he felt her hand stroking over him, over his jeans, giving in to the moment.

"El, baby," Olivia finally said, "We shouldn't do this here. We can't do this here."

Elliot pressed his thumb over her panty covered clit and rubbed in hard circles, determined to prove her wrong. "Watch us," he whispered. But just as Olivia's hips bucked up into his hand and her lips and teeth buried themselves into his neck, he regained a small bit of self control. He slowed down, he took a breath, he moved his lips back to hers, and he stopped moving his hands. "Liv," he whispered to her again, "Shit, I'm...I don't know what got into me."

Olivia took a deep breath, falling into his slow kiss. He hands traveled up his body and came to rest on his back, and she felt his hands readjust her pants, then wrap tightly around her. The mood had shifted, and the light at the end of the tunnel was coming into view.

"Is my timing great or what?" Elliot chuckled. "Imagine the looks on my kids' faces if we came back through the tunnel with my hand in your pants and your leg wrapped around me."

"I'd rather not, thanks," Olivia said with a scoff, straightening up. She chuckled and leaned into Elliot. "This isn't over, Stabler."

"Oh, it hasn't even begun, Benson," Elliot said back, winking at her as he kissed her again.

Their cart rolled through, out into the exit, and they heard, "Ohhh," "All right, Dad," and "I don't really need to actually see this."

Elliot snickered as he pulled away from Olivia, thankful that they had calmed down and slowed to a gentle, loving kiss in time for the kids to see what they were up to. He turned to them and got out of the cart, then extended his hand to help Olivia do the same. "Well, uh, that was a nice ride," he said, winking at her.

"Yeah," Maureen said with a smirk. "Looked like you two had a lot of fun."

Olivia licked her lips and bit down on her bottom one, looking at Elliot. "More than we should have," she mumbled to him under her breath.

Elliot chuckled, squeezed her hand, and said, "Okay, guys, why don't we just find some other ridiculously long line to stand on, huh?"

Kathleen started leading the group toward something called Submarine Voyage as she said, "So are you and Liv, like, a thing now?"

"A thing?" Elliot asked. "Be more specific," he said, giving Olivia a look telling her he loved torturing his kids.

Kathleen rolled her eyes. "You know! A couple! Dating?"

"We just went on a ride, Kat," Elliot said with a shrug.

"Yeah," Maureen said with a chuckle. "And you came out locked in a kiss that would have been romantic and all, except you're my father, so...ew."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "So, you four wanted me and Liv to sit alone, in a different cart, through the Tunnel of Love, and not come out kissing? Yeah, right."

The kids stopped moving as they hit the line for the attraction and Maureen and Kathleen looked at each other. "Busted," they said together.

"Yeah," Olivia said, feeling herself being pulled into Elliot's arms.

"Guys, Liv and I were...we were halfway to being together before we even got on the plane," Elliot said, kissing the crown of Olivia's head. "I'm just relieved you're all okay with this. It's pretty fast, and new, and..."

"It's Liv," Dickie said. "Honestly, Dad, we'd be mad if you didn't go after her."

Lizzie agreed, holding her stuffed mouse. "Really mad," she said. "You don't wanna know what Plan B was. Thank goodness we don't need it."

"Wait, Plan B?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.

Maureen sighed. "In case you two didn't come out of the ride like you did," she said. "We had a backup plan. Another way to try to get you two together."

"Oh, this I gotta hear," Olivia said, unconsciously leaning further back into Elliot's embrace, moving just slightly. She felt him harden behind her and smirked, pulling his arms tighter around her. Finally, she could do something about the intense sexual tension between them: let it take over. "Spill it," she told the two oldest girls as her hand aressed Elliot's arms.

Kathleen cleared her throat. "Well, uh, see that guy over there?" she questioned, pointing toward a food stand. The man waved, but looked mildly unhappy.

"Uh, what about him?" Elliot asked, glaring at the man as he wrapped Olivia even tighter, telling him she was _his_.

"He was Plan B," Maureen said. "We were gonna get him to hit on Liv. We know how jealous you always get when..."

"Okay," Elliot stopped her.

Kathleen nodded. "Yeah! Like that time she went away for the weekend with that agent guy and you stayed up for..."

"Okay!" Elliot yelled, not wanting Olivia to know that just yet.

Olivia, needing to lighten the mood, said, "He's actually really cute. I'm down for Plan B." She wagged her eyebrows as she pulled out of Elliot's arms.

"Oh, no ya don't," Elliot laughed, knowing she was kidding, and pulling her back toward him. He spun her around as he pulled her in, and looked at her for a moment. "I love you," he mouthed to her, moving in.

"I love you, too, El," Olivia whispered, her mouth meeting his eagerly in a sweet kiss.

"Hey," Maureen shouted a few minutes later. "Guys, the line's moving. Dad? Liv? Hello?"

Lizzie threw her Mickey Mouse at her father, hitting him in the head, and he and Olivia stopped kissing and looked up, shocked. "What was that for?" Elliot asked, annoyed.

Olivia chuckled and said, "I think we should move." She gestured to the five-foot gap between her and the children, bent down to pick up the stuffed mouse, and walked, pulling Elliot along.

"Sorry, guys," Elliot said, sheepishly. "Guess we got a little, um, distracted."

"I'll say," Kathleen quipped.

Dickie turned his head and shook it, then asked, "Has anyone else noticed that Donald Duck has been following us all day?"

"You're at Disneyland, kid," Elliot said. "Donald Duck is everywhere."

"No," Dickie said, jutting a thumb over his shoulder. "Donald Duck. Like a guy in a suit. He's been kind of trailing us. He walked over to us when we got off of the shuttle, then when we got to Magic Mountain, then at the tunnel he stood off to the side, like, waiting for us to get out, and now he's over there. I think...I mean, I can't tell, but I think he's watching us."

Elliot moved to get out of the line and walk over to the giant mallard, but he took a breath and looked back at his family. "Let it go, Dickie," he said. "I will take care of it, if he shows up at the next ride, but right now, we are on vacation. And Liv and I...are starting something new here. Donald Duck can go quack somewhere else, because you guys and Liv all I care about right now." He kissed Olivia's forehead, then looked down at her.

Olivia looked up, moving with the line, and said, "I don't think I've ever been more proud of you than I am right now."

"Well, I'm not gonna go beat up Donald Duck in the middle of Disneyland, honey," Elliot whispered to her. "We'll just watch him. If I get a moment alone with the fucker, the duck is goin' down." He chuckled and kissed her, brushing her hair back, and smiling against her lips as a soft moan escaped him. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "Liv," he whispered, his hand on the back of her neck.

"Yeah, I know," Olivia whispered to him. "Easy."

Elliot chuckled. "I don't know why, but it is. It should be harder, scarier, I should feel like I'm risking everything by being with you." He kissed her again and held her gaze. "I don't. I feel like I'd be risking everything by not being with you. And I know you feel the same way. I'm the first guy, since I've known you, that you haven't tried to run away from." He chuckled and kissed her.

"You run just as fast I do," Olivia said, wrapped in his arms as the line moved again. "You'd catch up, so there's no point in running. Besides, I'd still have to look at you everyday, seeing as how you're my partner and all," she said, raising an eyebrow. "I can't run away from you, Stabler. Guess you're stuck with me."

Elliot smirked. "Good," he said, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Guys!" Kathleen said, stopping them, "We're all very happy that you're together now, but you do know that Disneyland is supposed to kid-friendly, right? Can you save that for, like, the middle of the night, or in the hotel when no one is around you?"

Elliot widened his eyes and laughed. "Well, we would have had some time alone together if the four of you hadn't whined and moaned until we switched around all our plans to just drop off the luggage and come straight here. You're lucky we don't have a far trip to the hotel."

"It's in the middle of the park," Dickie said, folding his arms.

"Exactly," Elliot laughed. "We're gonna be here for a whole week. Let's make this the last ride, guys, then we can go back, relax for a bit, and..."

"Pool!" Maureen yelled. "We can go down to the pool!"

Olivia looked at Elliot with a smirk. "Yeah, we can do that," she said. She leaned in and whispered, "I brought that red bikini..."

"From that undercover case last year?" Elliot asked, interrupting. His eyes widened and he looked around. "What is taking so long? This line needs to move faster. Ya know, I have my badge, we could always just..."

"Elliot," Olivia laughed, pulling him toward her for another kiss. "Shut up. By the way, tonight, you're telling me what you did when I went away with Dean."

"So are you," Elliot said with narrow eyes.

Olivia snickered. "You're story is probably way more exciting," she said.

Elliot grinned, kissed her once, and followed his children onto the large, yellow submarine.

As they boarded the ride, Donald Duck moved out of the way. He waddled his way down Main Street and headed straight for his next destination. The Grand Californian Hotel. He'd be waiting for them, out of costume, by the pool.

**A/N: So who's the duck? What happens at the pool? What had happened during that undercover case? More Disney Family Fun, and a little lovin' of course, coming up. If you want it, review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So who's the duck? What happens at the pool? What had happened during that undercover case?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"And then he got food poisoning and spent the whole weekend in the bathroom," Olivia said, lounging back on her pool chair and sipping a drink. "I spent more time honing my first aid skills than doing anything romantic."

Elliot, unable to stop staring at her body in the red bikini she wore, chuckled. "So you and he...you didn't..."

"Wow, no," Olivia said, her eyes popping. "Stop talking."

"Yes, ma'am," Elliot said, nodding with a smirk.

Olivia twirled the umbrella in her drink and tilted her head. "What about you?" she asked. "What were you doing when you thought I was spending three days having wild, passionate sex with Dean Porter?"

Elliot shivered. "Never give me that visual again," he told her. "I was up, literally, the whole three days. I kept picking up the phone to call you and putting it down before it rang. I ran a background check on him. I slept, well I didn't actually sleep I just laid there, on the couch because I just couldn't stomach being near Kathy when all I could think about was you."

"You didn't act weird when I got back," Olivia said.

"You didn't have a ring on your finger," Elliot said. Then he closed his eyes and grimaced. He didn't mean to say that.

Olivia squinted slightly. "You thought he was...and you thought I'd say yes?"

"Liv, I didn't know what to think," Elliot said, his head falling back onto the lounge chair. "I was terrified of it, and when you came back, not engaged, it was a bigger relief than you could possibly imagine."

Olivia chuckled, sipped her drink again, and looked into the pool. "They look happy," she said, nodding at the kids. They were playing and splashing, laughing and smiling.

"They are," Elliot said. "I haven't seen them like this in a long time."

"You have to be happy in Disneyland," Olivia said with a scoff. "Happiest place on Earth."

"Are you happy?" Elliot asked, sitting up.

Olivia, easing back further, said, "Yeah. I am. Are you?"

Elliot moved toward her, leaning over her. "You know I am," he whispered, brushing his lips over hers. He trailed his hand down, tugging lightly on one of the red strings on her top. "The first time I saw you in this thing, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. I think, uh, my reaction was pretty damn clear to you. You just avoided it."

"I didn't avoid it," Olivia said, her breath hitching as Elliot's hand moved lower, over her stomach. "We were working."

"I was so thankful that I had to play the role of your boyfriend," Elliot said. "I don't think I would have been able to keep my hands off you if I wasn't allowed to touch you."

Olivia chuckled, looking into his eyes. "So that was just you being you? You weren't acting?"

"Everything I did, and said, and thought, and felt," Elliot said, nodding. "It was all me, baby."

Olivia smirked. "I feel better now," she said. "I thought I was getting nowhere that weekend."

"You would have gotten a lot farther if I was less Catholic," Elliot joked. He kissed her, then backed away. "You wanna go in?" he asked, nodding toward the pool.

Olivia narrowed her eyes and asked, "You just wanna get me all wet, don't you?"

"I know you," Elliot said, his voice low, as he pulled her up into his arms. "You're already wet."

Olivia took another breath. Talking this way, being like this with Elliot was still so new to her. She smirked and kissed him. "One way to find out," she whispered.

"Liv, baby," Elliot groaned, "Not in front of the kids." He winked at her and guided her to the ladder, then began to get into the pool. He dropped with a splash, then turned to catch Olivia. She landed in his arms, and they kissed with smiles on their faces.

"Hey!" Olivia shouted, pulling away from Elliot and shielding her face from the splashing water.

Maureen and Kathleen stopped their splashing and laughed. "You looked like you need to cool off," Maureen said with a smile.

Elliot laughed and splashed back at his daughters, Dickie swam over to help, and soon the entire family, including Olivia, was involved in a water war.

"Okay, okay!" Kathleen yelled, stopping. "We give!"

Maureen nodded. "Yeah," she said, out of breath. "You win, Dad."

"Oh, Daddy! Can we go on the slide?" Lizzie asked, pointing.

"Yeah. Oh, uh, Mo! Stay with her!" Elliot said, giving parental instructions. "Don't let her or Dickie out of your sight."

"You got it, Dad," Maureen said. She and her siblings ran for the huge slide at the end of the pool and stood in line.

Elliot watched them for a moment, then looked for Olivia. He watched as she came up from under the water, tossing the excess water from her hair as she brushed it back with her hands. He swallowed, closing his eyes, needing to get a grip. "Damn," he said, looking away from her.

"What?" Olivia asked, standing beside him.

Elliot looked back at her, slicked back his own wet hair, and said, "You. You are breathtaking, Liv, and I don't wanna say or do anything that's gonna get me smacked."

"If I didn't smack you in that stupid tunnel, I'm pretty sure you're safe," Olivia said with a laugh.

A man, bitter with jealousy and slight rage, stood at the other end of the pool, watching as Elliot and Olivia kissed, as their arms wrapped around each other. He smirked and moved, thinking it was time to make his presence known. He sauntered over, looked down at them, and cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said. "Detective Benson?"

Olivia pulled away from Elliot and looked up, wondering how she would know anyone in California. "Yeah," she said, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

The man knelt down, looking from Olivia to Elliot. "And Detective Stabler," he said, smirking. "Funny running into you here," he said, tilting his head.

"Ryan, buddy, we didn't know you were taking a vacation," Elliot said, surprised.

Ryan O'Halloran, a lab tech they worked with, looked down at them, still smirking. "I'm not. My nephew, over there," he said as he pointed to a little boy. "It's his birthday. The whole family is here until tomorrow. He had a big Donald Duck themed party this morning."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other, as if realizing something. "Oh, uh, that's cute," Olivia said, hesitantly looking up at him.

"So, uh, you two are together now?" Ryan asked, slipping his feet into the pool.

Elliot moved Olivia out of the way, letting Ryan fall into the pool beside them, and he said, "Yeah. We are. Look, Ry, you can't tell..."

"I'm not gonna tell anyone, Elliot," Ryan said, smirking. "I'm happy for you. You look really happy." He was telling the truth. They did look very happy. It didn't stop him from wanting a bit of that happiness for himself, though. "When do you two head back to work?"

"Saturday," Elliot said. "We're here for the week."

"Olivia, I thought you were still seeing Brian," Ryan said, folding his arms. "He told me all about this dinner he's planning for the two of you when you get back from, well, here, I guess."

"Ryan," Olivia said with a sigh, "I'm not, nor was I ever, with Brian Cassidy. He's got a crush on me. A big one."

Ryan looked into her eyes, as if trying to tell her something. "A lot of people do, Olivia. It's hard not to."

Olivia squinted, her face almost angry as she realized what he meant, and she said, "Yeah. Excuse me, uh, I'm gonna get the kids. We should all dry off before we go to dinner." She gave Elliot a long, hot kiss, deliberately making Ryan watch.

Elliot cleared his throat when she pulled away to swim off toward the kids. "Uh, yeah, so, that's...yeah."

"Elliot," Ryan said, a grin on his face. "Just watch your back, man. Being with her could be hazardous to your health."

"Are you threatening me, Ryan?" Elliot asked, his brow furrowed and his jaw tight.

"No," Ryan said, smirking. "Just warning you. If Cassidy finds out...I mean, that guy is a loose cannon."

"He won't find out," Elliot said, shooting Ryan a warning look.

Ryan laughed. "Okay," he said. "I'll see ya around, Detective Stabler." He pulled himself out of the pool, walked back toward his family, and shook his head. He thought he'd be able to rip her away from Cassidy without a problem, but ripping her away from Elliot would not be an easy task.

* * *

"All the troops are present and accounted for," Olivia said with a chuckle, walking into the bedroom she'd be sharing with Elliot. She slipped off her shoes at the door as she closed it, then walked further into the room. "They're all conked out in their room," she said, taking out her earrings in front of the dresser. She saw Elliot walking toward her in the mirror's reflection, and she saw the look on his face. "What?" she asked, straightening up.

Elliot said nothing, but he reached out to take off her other earring. He clasped it shut in his hand before putting it on the dresser beside its twin, then moved to unzip her dress. He slid the metal down, slowly, watching it move, watching the skin of her back come into view as the material slipped open. "I love you," he whispered.

Olivia's eyelids fluttered shut when Elliot moved closer, pressing his lips to her neck as he slid the dress off of her shoulders. The red cotton pooled at her feet and Elliot's hands ran over her sides, and her stomach, before resting around her waist. "Elliot," she whispered. Her hands clutched the back of his head, keeping his lips attached to the spot on her neck he was sucking.

Elliot moaned slightly, his hands slid over her waist again, gripping the sides of the silk panties she wore beneath the dress he'd just peeled off. He lifted his head, looking at her.

Olivia nodded slowly, just once, as she unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. She felt Elliot's fingertips skimming down her legs, and he bent down, allowing her to step out of the silk in his hands. He looked up at her, in amazement, staring at her naked form. He was silent as he remained on his knees, sliding his arms up her body, and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her legs, every inch, and worked his way up her thighs, then he rose just slightly to kiss her warm, slick core. He moaned at the taste, then he went to work, slowly licking her. He felt her legs buckle slightly in his arms, but he wouldn't let her fall. He nibbled a bit, then suckled on her clit, keeping her standing as she leaned against the dresser.

"God, El," Olivia moaned, her head falling back. One leg lifted of its own will, and Elliot grabbed it, helping it on its way, and placed it over his shoulder. He licked deeper and she moaned louder, rolling her hips. They were both enjoying this thoroughly. Olivia's fingers dug into his shoulders, then worked their way over to his scalp, scratching and caressing, running through his hair.

Elliot hummed and moaned his appreciation as he kept up his assault on Olivia, and he felt her growing wetter, tasted her more strongly. He had her right where he wanted her. He sucked hard and she blew apart, her head flying back, her back arching and her voice crying out his name. Elliot held on tight as her legs gave out and he kept her up, not allowing her to fall. He pulled away from her, licking his lips, and as he rose to his feet he slid out of his pants, kicked them off, and looked into Olivia's eyes. "Keep it down, would ya, Benson? My kids are trying to sleep."

Olivia chuckled. "Damn," she breathed, trying to calm down. "Smug son of a bitch," she spat, seeing the look on his face.

Elliot chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and tossing her on the bed. He crawled over her and said, "We don't have to do this. We can wait."

Olivia shook her head. "We've waited long enough," she said, kissing him.

Elliot leaned into her, almost pushing inside of her, but pulled back to whisper, "I love you."

"I love you," Olivia whispered back.

Elliot gave her nose a little nudge with his. He kissed her, stifling the moan and small cry of slight pain as he pushed into her, and he didn't stop kissing until they were finished, completely spent, bringing yet another new aspect of their relationship to light.

* * *

Brian Cassidy, hanging up his phone, turned to look at his captain. "Hey, Cap? Why couldn't I go with Benson to that seminar?"

Cragen rubbed his eyes. "You should go home, Cassidy," he said. "We're done here."

"I have some paperwork to catch up on," Cassidy said. "I just wanna know why I couldn't..."

"Brian," Cragen snapped. "Let it go," he said, heading out of the bullpen.

Brian sighed, shaking his head. Ryan's phone call opened his eyes to one thing, and Cragen had just opened them to another. Olivia and Elliot were together, and no one was planning on stopping them. Until now.

**A/N: Will Ryan and Cassidy work together or is it every man for himself? Will Elliot find out about someone's plan before it's too late? What else will Disneyland bring? More family fun! Next. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Chapter 10**

**A/N: Will Ryan and Cassidy work together or is it every man for himself? What else will Disneyland bring? More family fun!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Okay, Daddy needs a break," Elliot said, plopping into the nearest bench. "Mister Toad's Wild Ride was...a little too wild for me," he said, shaking his head.

"It wasn't that bad," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

Elliot looked up at her. "That damned frog had us zigging and zagging and flipping, and I think my stomach thinks we're still in the stupid car." He held a hand to his stomach and burped, trying not to be sick.

Olivia chuckled. "It couldn't be the three steins of beer and four burritos you had for lunch, ten minutes before we got on the ride, could it?"

Elliot gave her an annoyed look. "Shut up," he said with a smirk. He stood up, burped again, and grimaced. "Okay, maybe it was the Mexican..."

Suddenly, Lizzie gasped and tugged on Olivia's fingers as she spotted something exciting. "Mom! Mom! Can we go on the bobsled ride?" she asked trying to get Olivia to move toward the Matterhorn Mountain attraction.

Olivia was frozen; her face was expressionless.

"Uh, Lizzie," Kathleen said cautiously, "That's not Mom."

Lizzie's eyes widened. She turned around slowly and saw her hand clutching Olivia's. "Oh," she said. "I...I'm sorry, Liv. It just came out."

Olivia, looking down at the nine-year-old, took a breath and said, "No, it's fine. It's...it's an honest mistake, sweetie. You probably should be here with your mother."

"No," Maureen interrupted with folded arms. "We shouldn't be here with her. We should be here with you, Liv. And we are."

"And I didn't make a mistake," Lizzie whispered, looking at her father.

Elliot's eyes widened slightly as he realized what that meant. "Hey," he said. "Uh, yeah, that bobsled thing looks like fun. Go on, guys. Me and Liv are right behind you."

Lizzie smiled, then ran with her siblings to get on the line for the ride.

Olivia, taking a few slow steps with Elliot beside her, quietly said, "She called me..."

"I heard her," Elliot said, just as quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Elliot," Olivia said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I never meant for any of your kids to...I'm not trying to be their mother, and it's clear that they want her here."

Elliot took her hand, linking their fingers as they walked, and he said, "That's not true. I know you didn't think they were gonna start calling you that, and Lizzie said it just came out, but she also said she didn't make a mistake. It's you they want here, Liv. Lizzie...she was calling you 'Mom'. She meant you, Liv. She was talking about you."

Olivia sighed and closed her eyes. "God, that's...that's sweet, really, but it was never my intention to..."

"You never intended to make my kids fall just as in love with you as I am?" Elliot asked, an interruption. "You never intended to make my children feel like they had someone who loved them, and mothered them, and wanted them like a mother should? You never intended to be the most amazing, selfless human being on the planet?"

Olivia, chuckling at him, said, "Okay, so I intended most of that, but it didn't bother you that she called me that?"

"Liv, baby, my heart almost popped out of my chest," Elliot told her with a beaming smile. "It means that this," he said, holding up their intertwined hands, "Isn't upsetting them, and they know that you're...well, I like to think that someday, you're gonna be their stepmom."

Olivia smiled at him as they walked toward the line and the kids. "I think it might be too soon to think about..."

"There was a picture of you behind my wedding photo," Elliot interjected. "I've been thinking about it for years."

Olivia stopped, then tugged on his hand. "El," she said, her voice dropping. "I am incredibly happy with you, you have to believe that, but this is the first time in a long...ever...that I've let myself go this far this fast. I'm terrified, but..."

"I'm not asking you to marry me tomorrow," Elliot said, stopping her.

"Can I finish a damned sentence, please?" Olivia asked, smiling. "I was going to say, but I feel the same way. This is just new for me, ya know? I've never been with someone who didn't give me hives when talk of marriage and kids came up. I'm not used to being this completely secure with a guy. It's scary."

Elliot laughed and pulled on her hand, leading her toward the ride again. "That's how you know it's real," he said. "No one has ever told you that when you meet 'the one', you just know and it's this easy?"

"They have," Olivia said. "And I didn't believe them. Not until I met you," she said. Her words stopped him in his tracks.

Elliot turned around and looked at her. "Yeah?" he asked, smirking.

"I knew it was you, I just tried to convince myself I was wrong, because you were already married," Olivia explained with a shrug.

Elliot chuckled and shook his head. "You know you're always right," he said with a scoff, teasing her.

Olivia smirked at him. "You and I are gonna be great together, Stabler. You already know the rules."

Elliot pulled her toward him and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Ah, see, the rules of dating you are the same as the rules of being your partner, only now I'm allowed to act on all the incredibly dirty thoughts and feelings I get when I look at you." They shared a laugh and another kiss, as they joined the kids on the ride's line.

"About time," Maureen laughed. "We're in the next group they're letting up," she said.

Elliot held his hand, still linked with Olivia's, to his stomach. "Oh, it would have been such a pity if I missed going down a mountain at a hundred miles an hour in a tiny boat-like sled."

"Oh! It would have," Dickie said, nodding. "Since you and Liv are already together, my new goal is to see how long it takes you to hurl on a ride."

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "You are, without a doubt, my son." He turned and kissed Olivia as they and the kids laughed, heading up the mountain.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Cassidy asked into the phone. "Well, there has to be something you can...you're coming back tomorrow and they aren't. Do something, Ry! If they stay there alone together...what do you mean you can't? Oh, boo hoo, you saw her hug the kids, are you getting soft on me pal?" He listened for another moment, then rolled his eyes. "Great. They're calling her 'mom' well people lose their mothers all the time," he said. "You know what? Don't then. I will take care of it when they come back." He hung up, then looked up at his partner. "What?" he asked.

Munch shook his head. "Nothing, it just sounded like an interesting conversation."

Brian nodded, then got up. He walked over to Cragen's door and knocked, entering when he was told to. "Hey, Cap," he said, taking a seat.

"What's up, Cassidy?" Cragen asked.

"I was just wondering," Cassidy began, "What would happen if two detective's in the same unit, uh, started dating?"

"It wouldn't be a problem," Cragen said, tilting his head.

Cassidy leaned forward a bit. "What if...what if they were partners?"

Cragen sighed and looked at him. He didn't know for sure how Cassidy knew, but he couldn't let him think _he _knew about Olivia and Elliot. "Well, they couldn't be partners," he said.

Brian's eyes lit up. "See, that's what I thought, so..."

"Unless they had to be," Cragen continued, cutting him off. "If they're the same rank, and the only two in the division that are, they have no choice. But, uh, if things progress and they get married, well, they can't even work in the same precinct. Conflict of interest becomes a much bigger issue if its that solid of a relationship, and if there are kids involved. Why are you asking?" he asked. "You thinking of taking Munch to dinner?"

Cassidy laughed. "No, uh, Olivia and I...well, I wanted to..."

"Cassidy," Cragen said, folding his arms. "You would be a wise man if you stayed away from Olivia Benson. She has made it clear, loudly and violently, that she isn't interested."

"That's not true, Cap," Cassidy said.

Cragen raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think I missed her punch you before she left, did you?"

Cassidy sighed and got up, headed out into the squadroom, and sat at his desk. He knew there had to be something he could do. He just had to think harder.

* * *

The squeaking of the bed in the next room was loud. Very loud. They were trying to sleep, and just knowing what was causing the squeaking made them roll their eyes. "I'll go," he said. He got out of the bed, opened the bedroom door, and yelled, "Stop jumping on the bed! Now! It's two in the morning, and I don't have the money to pay for a broken bed! This is an expensive hotel!"

The squeaking stopped immediately, and he heard a very sincere sounding, "Sorry, Dad!"

Elliot closed the door and rolled his eyes. "Man," he mumbled, crawling back into bed. "Kids are fucking weird."

Olivia chuckled as she wrapped her bare arms around him and melded her body against his, her curves wrapping snugly around him. "Don't blame the kids," she said. "They're just excited. Having a good time. We do that in bed," she said seductively. "I'm just really glad our bed isn't that loud."

Elliot chuckled, kissing her. "Oh, boy, that would be...so wrong," he said, thinking about how he would explain the squeaking coming from his room to his children.

Olivia laughed as she rolled over, letting Elliot envelope her with his body. She fit against him perfectly. "It would," he said. "They would know that we weren't jumping on the bed."

"And I would not wanna tell them the truth," Elliot laughed. He looked into her eyes and he smiled. "They're a little young for that," he said, grinning.

"Yeah, they are," Olivia said. She peered into his eyes, and said the only thing her brain would allow her to say. "Kiss me."

Elliot leaned in and captured her lips. He ran his hands up and down her naked body and held her just still enough to get in between her legs, where he needed to be. He wrapped her legs around him and moved gently, easing into her and flinching only slightly when he heard her seethe. He moved slow, careful not to hurt her or make the bed squeak, and he held her close, kissing her. "Screw Disneyland," Elliot mumbled against her lips. "This is the happiest place on Earth."

Olivia chuckled, meeting his slow and easy thrusts. "Yeah," she breathed. "It is."

**A/N: An encounter with Ryan before he leaves, SVU gets a new case, and the last day of their vacation, coming up! Review if you'd like to read it, here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: An encounter with Ryan before he leaves, SVU gets a new case, and Cassidy puts his plan into action.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Ryan was pacing back and forth outside of the Grand Californian. His flight was leaving in an hour, his shuttle was leaving in fifteen minutes. He looked up at the window of the room he knew they were in, sighed, and walked into the building.

He walked up the stairs as he took a few deep breaths. He was sure Elliot was going to kill him. He knocked lightly on the door, and he cringed slightly when Elliot answered.

"What do you want, O'Halloran?' Elliot asked, his arms folded.

Ryan looked Elliot in the eyes and said, "Just to tell you this, Elliot. Seriously, watch out for Cassidy."

Elliot scoffed. "Cassidy isn't gonna..."

"He wanted me to break you two up," Ryan said, interrupting. "I told him I saw you here, together," he explained. "He flipped out and told me that I had to get between the two of you before I left. I swear, I was going to, but I couldn't. That's not why I came up here."

Elliot made a face, a tense, controlled, face, as if he was trying not to yell. "Okay," he said. "Go on."

"I was going to yesterday," Ryan said. "Then I saw you and Olivia with your kids. You guys looked so happy, I heard your daughter call her Mom, I...I couldn't wreck that."

"Decent of you," Elliot said with a clenched jaw. "You couldn't just leave us alone because we're your friends? Or I thought we were," he said.

O'Halloran shook his head and explained. "Brian's been my friend since college, Elliot. We were buds, fraternity brothers, and roommates. I thought I was doing him a favor. Helping him get the girl of his dreams. But I'm not gonna wreck what you two have. I didn't know that whatever is between you was serious. Up until two days ago, I thought Olivia was still with him."

"It's pretty serious," Elliot said. "And Liv was never with him. She spent one night with him, and she regrets it. We've always been..."

"I know," Ryan interrupted. "I just didn't want to believe it. I couldn't stand to see him hurt, ya know?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I get that. Look, uh, Liv and my kids are still sleeping, so...I should get back in there."

"Yeah, yeah," Ryan said. "I'm leaving now, anyway. I'm going back to New York. I'm just warning you, Cass will try something. Something bad. Head him off, if you can," he said. "Have a nice rest of the week," he told him, holding out his hand.

"We will," Elliot said, shaking his hand. "Thanks for the warning, Ry." He nodded and watched Ryan leave, then turned back into his room. He walked into the bedroom, closed the door, and crawled back into the warm, comfortable bed next to Olivia. He wrapped her in his arms and smiled when she moaned softly and snuggled into him. This is what love was. This is what he'd been missing, and he was incredibly happy that he found it with Olivia.

* * *

"Cassidy!" Cragen yelled. "You and Munch have a vic at Saint Mark's!" He ran out of his office and handed Cassidy a pink slip of paper.

Munch looked up from his desk. "Saint Mark's?" he questioned. "Isn't that where..."

"Yes," Cragen said. "She's the attending nurse, which is why I'm glad Benson and Stabler aren't here. That would be...awkward, to say the least."

"Wait," Cassidy said. "Who are we talking about?" he asked.

"Stabler's ex-wife," Munch said. "Kathy."

Cassidy smirked with an evil gleam in his eyes. "Munch, let's get to work, huh? Can't leave the poor girl waiting," he said with a nod toward Cragen.

Munch and Cragen shared a knowing look. "Keep him on a leash, huh?" Cragen asked.

"I'll try," Munch replied as he followed Cassidy out of the bullpen.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Lizzie asked, holding her stuffed Mickey Mouse.

Elliot looked down at her and smiled. "We're gonna go see the rest of the park, and see one of the shows," he told her excitedly. "But first, honey, I wanna talk to you. Come here, pumpkin," he said, pulling on the young girl's hand. He led her to the couch in the common room of their suite and sat down with her.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Lizzie asked, her big, blue eyes wide with worry.

"Nothing, pumpkin," Elliot said. "I just wanna know...why did you call Liv 'Mom' yesterday?"

Lizzie looked down. "I thought you weren't mad about that," she said softly.

"I'm not," Elliot assure her. "I'm not mad, I'm...I don't know what I am, I just...I wanna know why you did it."

Lizzie sighed. "I don't know," she said. "I guess I just got so excited that we were here, and that we were all actually happy, and you haven't yelled at all. I mean, you always used to fight with Mom, and that's not what happy couples do," she explained. "I'm a kid, but I know that much. Seeing you happy, and having someone around that actually acted like she was spending time with us because she wanted to and not because she had to, it was...that's a Mom," she said plainly. "Isn't it?"

Elliot smiled softly at her. "Yeah, honey," he said. "It is. But I think you may have scared Liv a little bit. We haven't been together long, and it's all new, and..."

"Dad," a voice from behind him said, "You know we all kinda thought of Liv as a second Mom anyway, right? Or at least the really cool aunt that you secretly wish was your mom."

"Maury," Elliot said, turning toward the oldest girl, "What are you talking about?"

Maureen walked closer. "Whenever one of us had a problem, like we couldn't sleep, or we were going through something we couldn't talk to you or Mom about, we called Liv."

"Hold on," Elliot said, raising a hand. "What couldn't you talk to me about?" he asked.

Maureen laughed. "Boys, cramps, backstabbing friends, the little pimples you get on your butt," she listed. "You were usually at work or asleep and Mom would just say to 'let things handle themselves' which never solved anything. We would call Liv, and even when she didn't answer, she always called back and helped us as soon as she could."

"No to mention she took more pictures than you and Mom combined when I went to my eighth grade dance," Kathleen piped up, walking into the room.

Elliot chuckled. "She did have her finger on that button a lot, huh?" he teased. "Well, you guys know she doesn't have a big family. It's just...it's just her and her mother. We're all she's got, and..."

"Daddy," Lizzie said, looking up at her father, "We are her family. She's allowed to love us."

"She does," Elliot said, nodding. "She loves all of you, so much, and I can't pretend I know why or how. I was just supposed to be a partner, a friend. But somewhere along the way I guess..."

"You fell in love," Maureen said.

Elliot nodded.

"Were you in love with her when you and Mom were together?" Kathleen asked. "I mean, like, before. Happier. Before you started fighting."

Elliot pressed his lips together. "No," he said. "I was very much in love with your mother. But when things with us started to fall apart, it was Liv who kept me sane and balanced. She made me happy, and I realized that she was the one I needed to be with. I was falling in love with her then, I guess I just didn't realize it until...until I was allowed to acknowledge it without hurting your mother."

"Are you and Mom gonna be okay?" Kathleen asked.

"We'll be fine," Elliot said, sounding sure. "She'll move on, just like I have. We'll be better as friends than we ever were as a couple. Trust me guys, everyone is gonna be happy, and we're gonna be absolutely fine. Can one of you go get Liv and your brother? I'd like to get out there so we can start waiting on some lines."

The girls laughed and took off, Maureen to find Olivia and Kathleen to find her little brother. Lizzie, however, looked up at Elliot. "Dad?" she whispered. "Do you think Mom is gonna date someone you hate because you're dating Liv?"

"Honey, your mother does not hate..." Elliot paused. He couldn't lie to his daughter. He gave her a rather diplomatic answer. "Ya know, honey, as long as your mother is happy, I don't care who she dates."

Lizzie laughed. "Okay, Daddy," she said, hopping off the couch.

Olivia stepped into the room and looped her arms around Elliot's neck. "Don't lie to your kids, El," she whispered in his ear, nibbling lightly on his lobe.

Elliot moaned softly, his hands running over the skin of her arms. "I didn't," he said.

"You were going to," Olivia said, starting to kiss his neck.

"But I didn't," Elliot countered, turning around and wrapping her in his arms. He kissed her deeply and said, "I love you," against her lips.

Olivia pulled away, sighed happily, and said, "I love you, too. And I don't think I took that many pictures when Katie went to that dance."

Elliot laughed heartily and kissed her again, loving their new life together.

* * *

"She give you a name?" Munch asked, meeting Cassidy outside the victim's hospital room.

Cassidy shook his head. "The girl wouldn't talk to me. She kept calling me 'Dominic' and shrinking back in fear with her eyes squeezed shut. I called Cragen. He's sending Fiskars down here with Doctor Huang."

"What? Why?" Munch asked, confused, as they walked toward the nurse's station.

"He thinks she needs a therapist," Cassidy sighed. "And Benson's at that, uh, convention," he said. "Fiskars is the only other woman in the squad."

Minch scoffed. "She's not in the squad, yet! She's a rookie! She's just a uniformed..."

"The girl won't talk to you, and she won't talk to me," Cassidy said. "Fiskars is all we've got because Olivia isn't here!"

"Okay," Munch said, wide-eyed. "You don't have to yell."

Cassidy chuckled at him, shook his head, and said, "Sorry, man." He turned to the blonde nurse behind the desk, raised his badge, and said, "Hey, Detectives Cassidy and Munch. We need to pick up a kit from Diane Compton."

The blonde turned and handed them a box filled with several white, paper bags. "Here ya go," she said. "Oh, hi John," she said, trying to smile.

"Evening, Kathy," Munch said.

"Kathy?" Cassidy asked with a smirk. "As in Stabler?" he asked. "He was an idiot to let you walk away from him. You are just...wow, really?"

Kathy cringed lightly. "In about three weeks, it's gonna be Malone, but yes, I am Elliot's soon-to-be-ex-wife. And you are?"

"Brian Cassidy," Cassidy said, smiling and holding out his hand. He shook hers and said, "The guy hopefully taking Elliot's soon-to-be-ex-wife out to dinner after she gets off work."

Munch shot an eyebrow into the air and had to catch his breath. "Bri, we gotta go get this stuff to Warner," he said, trying to stop what was happening.

"After this divine creature gives me an answer," Cassidy said, still holding both Kathy's hand and her gaze.

Kathy, feeling a bit special and very good about herself at the moment, blushed and said, "I get off at two. You?"

"Two it is. I'll meet you here?" Cassidy asked, grinning smugly.

"Sure," Kathy said. "It's a date."

Cassidy lifted Kathy's hand to his lips, kissing it gently. He winked at her and said, "Yeah. It's definitely a date."

Munch tried to stay calm as they walked out of the hospital, passing Fiskars and Huang on their way. He knew he had to either tell Elliot, which would piss him off, or keep this a secret, which would piss Elliot off once he found out that Munch knew about it. He opted for the former, wondering two things: when could he get a moment away from Cassidy to make the phone call, and could Elliot kill him through the phone? No matter which way he cut it, this just wasn't going to end well.

**A/N: Kathy on a date with Cassidy? Someone finds out and confronts him! The Stablers' last day in California brings a surprise, and Elliot and Cassidy have a friendly little chat. And of course, a tender moment between Elliot and Olivia. Want it? Tell me. Here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Chapter 12**

**A/N: The flight home, Munch tells Elliot what he knows, and Kathy might not be as over Elliot as we think.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Guys, stop jumping on the bed and pack!" Elliot yelled.

Olivia chuckled. "They don't wanna leave, El," she said, folding the towels and placing them in a suitcase.

"Neither do I, honey," Elliot said, tossing clothes on top of the towels. "Unfortunately, we have no choice," he said, rolling up a tee-shirt and tossing it into the case.

Olivia scoffed and picked up the clothes, folding them. "Who taught you how to pack?" she asked.

"The Marine Corps," Elliot said, looking at her. "You grab what you can, throw it in a bag, and get the fuck out before it's too late."

Olivia suddenly felt sick. Her stomach flipped. She was hoping it was hidden, as she folded the clothes.

Elliot noticed. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"When you talked about the marines before," Olivia began, "I always thought about you in some knock-down, drag-out, fight with someone twice your size. I would imagine you practically ripping them apart with your bare hands, and lemme tell ya, that was the best damned bedtime story in the world." She chuckled, then shook her head. "Now, I think about it and I can't help getting terrified, nauseous, wondering what would have happened if..."

"Hey," Elliot said, pressing his finger to her lips. "Don't," he whispered. "I'd much rather have you think of it as sexy, hot, and noble." He smirked at her and said, "I got through it, I came home, we met, made each other's lives a living hell for a few years, and now everything is finally starting to fall into place, be the way I think it should be. Don't think about what might have happened if I didn't make it, because I did, so all it's gonna do is make you crazy." He raised both eyebrows and sighed. "Trust me," he said, speaking from experience.

Olivia nodded and gave him a small smile. She let herself be pulled into his arms, sighing in comfort and slight disbelief, and said, "When we get back to New York, this is all gonna change again, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked, screwing up his face in wonder.

Olivia dropped a light kiss to his shirt-covered chest, nuzzled into him, and said, "This week, we've gone to bed together every night, we've been relaxed, we've..."

"Had an incredible amount of mind-blowing sex," Elliot quipped, not liking the seriousness of her tone.

"That, too," Olivia laughed. "What I mean is...I'm gonna miss waking up with you," she said.

Elliot chuckled. "We've got weekends, baby," he said. "And late nights at work. Ya know, one of us will just have to stay with the other."

Olivia hummed. "Well, seeing as how one of us has four kids and can't leave them alone all night, you mean I'll have to go home with you."

"This is why you're a detective," Elliot laughed. He kissed her, holding her close, ignoring the squeaking and laughing coming from the children's room. If they broke the bed, right now, he wouldn't really notice or care.

* * *

Munch yawned as he poured himself a cup of the coffee he'd just made. He glanced around the squadroom, noticing Cassidy chatting up a young legal secretary by the rear entrance. Now was his chance. He moved to his desk, sat, and picked up the phone, dialing a number that he had memorized a long time ago. He waited a moment, then sighed. "Elliot," he said running a hand down his face. "No, uh, I was just expecting to leave a message. Listen, uh, I don't know what's going on but you should know, and if you can get in touch with Olivia she should probably hear it, Cassidy went out wioth Kathy last night. Yeah, your ex. See, that's the thing, I thought he and Benson...oh, they're not? Well, that's good. I was ready to kick his ass for hurting her like that. But, Stabler, the really weird thing...he came in this morning wearing the same suit he had on yesterday. Meaning, he didn't go home."

Cassidy walked over, taking his seat, and glancing once at the phone then at Munch.

Munch looked up at him and said, "Okay, Mom. Uh, yeah. Yes, right. I love you, too. Buh-bye." He hung up and looked at Cassidy over his glasses. "They only give her one phone call a week at the home," he said with a shrug.

"You're mother is alive?" Cassidy asked, shocked.

Munch furrowed his brow, offended, and picked up the nearest file, deciding to ignore Cassidy for as long as he could.

* * *

Olivia, staring out the window, wasn't trying to hide the shaking and bouncing of her knee, or the fact that she was biting her nails. She was taking deep breaths and humming, her nerves obvious.

"Staring out the window is probably not a good idea," Elliot said to her, reaching over and pulling down the rigid plastic shade.

Olivia looked at him, relaxing slightly. "Sorry," she said.

"You've never had a problem with flying before," Elliot said, looping an arm around her. "What happened?" he asked, leaning into her and brushing his nose with hers.

"Recurring nightmare," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. She cuddled into him and said, "I'll be okay."

"You will," Elliot said, kissing her. "I was thinking," he began, brushing her hair back, "When we get home, we should go out. We've only had that one date, and..."

"You don't have to ask," Olivia said with a smile. "Just tell me where and when, and I'll be there."

Elliot furrowed his brow and smiled, giving a silent, breathy chuckle. "I must have done something right," he said, looking into her eyes. "Usually, guys have to bug the shit out of you for a second date."

Olivia kissed him, brushing her fingers lightly over his cheek. "El," she whispered, "Usually, the guy isn't you. And we're beyond dating."

Elliot smirked, pressing his lips to hers, forgetting about his phone call with Munch for the moment.

"Dad," Dickie said, turning around. He groaned, seeing them lip-locked. "Oh, come on! Guys, really!"

Elliot pulled away from Olivia, who pressed her lips together and opened her eyes wide. "What, Dickie?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to see a card trick," Dickie said, "But clearly you'd rather make your own magic!"

"Dickie!" Elliot yelled, shocked.

Dickie rolled his eyes. "Get a grip, Dad," he said. "Just cause I'm nine doesn't mean I don't know things. Hello? Internet?"

"We are getting privacy locks on that as soon as this plane lands," Elliot said, holding up a finger and pointing at Dickie.

"We have them now," Dickie said with a shrug. "So do you wanna see the trick or not?" he asked, waving the deck of Mickey Mouse shaped cards at his father.

Elliot ran a hand down his face, chuckling. "Yeah, bud," he said. "Show me and Liv what ya got."

* * *

Cragen emerged from his office and barreled over to Cassidy's desk. "Where were you last night?" he asked, folding his arms.

Cassidy raised his eyebrows. "Why?" he asked.

"Answer the question, Cassidy," Cragen demanded. "Where were you, and who were you with?"

Cassidy sighed, leaning back in his chair. "On a date..."

"With Kathy Stabler!" Cragen boomed. He looked around, seeing that he'd just gotten the attention of his entire unit. "My office," he snapped. "Now!" he ordered.

"Fine," Cassidy said, getting up.

The two walked into the office, Cragen shut the door, and they sat. Cragen looked at Cassidy, shocked. "Are you serious? You're gonna go after his ex-wife because you're jealous of his partnership with Benson? She shot you down, and whatever you think..."

"Hey," Cassidy said, stopping Cragen. "I don't care what you think, but I met her and I like her, and we had a nice time."

"How nice, Cassidy?" Cragen asked.

Cassidy smirked. "We both had a great time," he said.

"Yeah," Cragen said, tossing a folder at him. "Is that why she's accusing you of rape?"

**A/N: Oh, snap! Will this get back to Elliot? What will he do? The divorce isn't finalized, so will this reunite him and Kathy? Or will he stay by Liv's side, despite the situation with Kathy? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Is Cassidy guilty? How does the case affect everyone?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler© **

"This is really not what I need right now," Elliot said, sliding a hand down his face as he paced back and forth, in a waiting room in which they both hated being.

"Like it was high on my list of things to do?" Olivia snapped.

Elliot scoffed. "See, she's got us fighting now," he said tossing a hand in the air.

"We're not fighting," Olivia said. "We're always like this."

"We have to go in there and give sworn statements about how Cassidy has been harassing you, Liv," Elliot said, his eyes wide. "This is gonna be bad for him," he declared with a shake of his head. "I can't honestly say I don't think he did this. He has a problem with the word 'no' and you know it."

Olivia folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. She bit her bottom lip and said, "Yeah, he does."

Elliot shot her a look. "What does that mean?" he asked, panic rising in his voice.

"It means that it took a lot to get him to back off, El," Olivia said aggressively. "He never…the one time we slept together I was drunk off my ass but I wanted it. After that, I had to practically beat the shit out of him to get him off of me. You know that. He doesn't handle rejection well. If I say that to them…"

"Yeah, I know," Elliot interrupted. "Kathy," he said, shaking his head. "Shit."

Olivia raised her eyes toward him, worried. She knew tragic situations had a tendency to pull people back together, and this was as tragic as things got. "If you think you need to be with her…"

"The kids are with her," Elliot said, cutting her off. He sat beside her and took her hand. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and bounced his knee nervously. "If he did this…baby, I can't stop thinking that…if you weren't with us in California…if you would have been here and he had the chance…"

"El," Olivia stopped him, "I never would have let him get that far."

Elliot looked at her, narrowing his slightly, in pain, not anger. "It wouldn't have been your choice, or your fault, you know that…I just…"

"Stop it," Olivia said, cutting him off again. "You told me not to think about what would or could have happened, because it didn't. Take your own advice."

Elliot gave her a very small, soft smile. He pressed his lips to her forehead and his eyes drifted shut. He swallowed back the hurt and the anger as he kissed her and held her head to his lips. He loved her so much it was causing him physical pain to think of anything happening to her. "I love you," he whispered.

"Right back at ya, Stabler," Olivia said, looking up at him with a wink. She chuckled and said, "You know I love you, too, El." She pecked his lips lightly as the door opened. They pulled apart quickly and straightened up, appearing nothing but professional as Ed Tucker waved a hand at them. They rose from their seats and walked into the interview room, hoping they wouldn't be feeding Cassidy to the sharks.

To their surprise, and their chagrin, they were taken to separate rooms. Elliot was told to follow Cragen, while Olivia was dragged away by Tucker. They were sat behind metal tables, on cold, hard chairs, feeling, they imagined, like their perps usually do.

Elliot told Cragen everything, letting his disdain for Cassidy shine through without really giving away his relationship status. Usually calling her his "partner," and saying it was "his job to defend and protect her," he managed to hold back his anger. "I really don't want to believe he did this," he said to his captain, "But after watching him with Liv, how can I not?"

Cragen sighed, folding his arms. He turned the tape recorder off and looked at Elliot. "Off the record," he said, "What's going on with you and Benson?"

Elliot looked up at Cragen. He furrowed his brow and shrugged. "If I tell you, what happens?" he asked.

"Depends on what you tell me," Cragen said.

Elliot, not willing to take the chance, said, "We had a great time in Disneyland, but we're better off as friends. Nothing's going on."

Cragen looked at him funny, but sighed and pushed the button on the recorder again. "Could Kathy be lying?" he asked, getting right back to his line of questioning.

Elliot laughed and said, "Wow. Yeah. She could be."

In the other room, Tucker wasn't as casual as Cragen, but he was nicer than he usually was. "Benson," he said, looking at her, "Has Cassidy ever gone a little too far with you?"

Olivia looked up at the sergeant and narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I would have kept my mouth shut if he had?" she asked, attitude in her voice. "I'm a cop, Tucker! In the Special Victims Unit! I know how to…"

"Benson," Tucker interrupted, "I know. I also know that you're human and would feel exactly like one of your victims. Just answer the question."

"No," Olivia spat. "Not for lack of trying. He has a problem with…he stopped," she said, deciding not to turn him into a monster. "He always stopped," she added.

Tucker leaned forward. "Not before scaring the shit out of you, right?" he asked. "How long did it take him to stop, Olivia?"

"Ed," Olivia protested.

"Benson," Tucker cut in, "If he hurt you…"

Olivia snapped then. "What are you really gonna do if he did?" she asked. "He put up one hell of a fight, okay, but he never got very far! He gets pissed when women turn him down, and he gets annoyed when he doesn't get what he wants, he acts like a three-year-old, but…"

"Don't defend him," Tucker interjected. "That's not your job. Just tell me what happened. When?"

Olivia sighed, giving up. "We…went out after work, once," she admitted. "We got drunk, we got stupid, it never happened again, but he thought we were suddenly engaged or something. Every night after work he'd follow me out, grab me, try to…I always got him off of me."

"That didn't send up any flares?" Tucker asked. "He's a typical perp, Benson. And I know he kissed you," he said. "The whole unit saw you punch him. So no one thinks his advances were welcome, Olivia."

"I don't think he's a rapist," Olivia said, looking up. "I think he's aggressive, and he's an asshole, but I think he knows when enough is…"

"Does he?" Tucker asked, sneering. "If he had the chance with you, Olivia, he might have taken it."

Olivia looked up and said nothing. She knew he was right. "Ya know," she said, trying to change the subject, "Kathy could be lying."

* * *

"I think she's lying," Munch said, slapping a file down on Olivia's desk. "I just got back from Mercy general, and, although she gave one hell of a performance, the exam didn't lie. She had sex, but it was, as far as the doc could tell, consensual. No physical evidence of any forceful sexual assault."

Cragen scratched his head and folded his arms. "So either she's lying and we have to get her to recant or arrest her, or Cassidy's a very careful rapist."

Elliot looked over his shoulder. "I could talk to her," he said. "I guarantee that's what she wants. She asked for me, didn't she?"

Munch nodded. "Begged, is more like it. When I told her it was against policy to let you talk to her, she cried even harder and shook like a leaf. Then said she'd talk to Olivia. I told her it was me or nothing."

"Thanks," Olivia said, nodding in his direction.

"I knew it wouldn't have been fun for either of you," Munch said with a shrug.

Cragen tilted his head. "I can't let you take a statement from…"

"Nothing would be official," Elliot said. "I'll go get my kids, ask her questions. Be the concerned ex-husband. See what really happened."

Olivia looked up, giving Elliot a look before turning to Cragen. "What did Cassidy say?" he asked.

"He claims it was date that ended very happily for both of them," Cragen said with a furrowed brow. "He's pissed off, but who wouldn't be?"

"Um, Detective Stabler? Sorry, am I interrupting?" a voice from the doorway asked.

Heads turned and saw Ryan O'Halloran standing with his arms at his sides, a nervous look on his face.

"If you've got something on this case, no," Elliot said. "If you're here to warn me about…"

"It's about the case," O'Halloran said. "I just got the work-up on your wife."

"Ex-wife," Elliot said, rolling his eyes.

O'Halloran rolled his eyes right back. "Whatever," he said. "I thought you should know, she didn't have any fresh bruises, but there are some fractures that look to be recently healed, and healing cuts, bruises that are a few weeks old."

"What are you implying, Ryan?" Elliot asked, irritated.

Ryan folded his arms. "I'm implying, Elliot, that someone worked her over pretty damn good, and up until a week and a half ago, she was living with you."

Elliot stood out of his seat. "Are you insane?" he shouted.

"Your temper certainly does flare," Ryan said, backing up.

"I have never, no matter how pissed off I was, hit her!" Elliot yelled. "I've never even seen any cuts or…"

"You wouldn't have," a meek sounding voice, behind him, said.

Elliot turned to see Kathy and a uniformed officer behind him. "Kathy?" he asked, confusion on his face. "What the hell are you…"

"They told me to stay in the hospital, but I had to come down here. The kids are upstairs in the rec-room," she said, knowing her way around the building. She sat in a chair beside Munch's desk and ran a shaking hand through her hair. "I know none of you believe me, but he raped me. I just didn't fight back because Elliot and Olivia have always said not to, it would be easier and safer not to."

"Okay," Munch said, nodding once. "What about what Ryan..."

Kathy cleared her throat. She looked up at Elliot and sighed again. "You were never home, Elliot, and you never paid enough attention to me to see the bruises." She looked at Cragen and shook her head. "Elliot never laid a hand on me, you have to believe that," she said.

"I do," Cragen said with a firm nod. "What I need to know is who did," he said, looking at the blonde woman.

Kathy shook her head. "No one. I got into a car accident last month," she said.

Elliot's eyes widened. "You told me that someone hit the Toyota in the parking lot at the hospital!" he yelled.

"I knew you'd be pissed," Kathy said. "I knew you'd be furious about the insurance going up, that I totaled the car, that…"

"Kathy!" Elliot barked, "I would have been more worried about you! The car…shit! You really don't know me, do you? This is why we're getting divorced! You don't think!" he looked back at Ryan. "And you," he said, "To even assume that I could…"

"Hey, I just follow the evidence," Ryan defended.

Kathy looked up and yelled, "Hey!" She looked at Elliot for a moment and said, "Can we get back to me, here? I came back to tell you to be careful. Brian said he knew he was going to get off because you couldn't prove anything, he was too careful. And that he was gonna get the girl he really wanted."

All of the heads in the room turned and looked toward Olivia. She looked at the concerned faces and backed up, sitting straight in her seat. "What?" she asked, looking around.

Elliot bent down in front of her and brushed her hair back. He very softly said, "He means you, Liv."

**A/N: Are they gonna be able to make a case against Cassidy? Who is the A.D.A and will charges be filed with no physical evidence? More time with the kids, next, too! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Are they gonna be able to make a case against Cassidy? Who is the A.D.A and will charges be filed with no physical evidence? More time with the kids, too!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

It was well past three in the morning when Olivia and Elliot strolled though the front door of his house, not tired, but exhausted. "I don't know who to believe," Elliot said, kicking off his shoes.

Olivia wasn't listening. She stopped moving as soon as she walked through the door, and her face was blank, tuning out everything but the item to which her focus had been drawn. A photo near the television had grabbed her attention. She walked over to it, lifting the frame, and tilted her head as she peered down at it.

"Liv?" Elliot called, trying to get her attention.

"Where did you get this one?" she asked, still staring at the picture. "When was it even taken?" she asked, her voice softer.

Elliot ran his hand over his face. "Honey, don't do this right now…"

"El, just tell me," Olivia said, turning to him. "You were there?" she asked, her tone was angry, but she had a bit of a soft smile on her face.

Elliot stepped up to her. "I wasn't following you. I was just there, at the same restaurant, with Kathy, and I saw the two of you…you looked so…happy. I guess I was shocked, ya know, since that doesn't happen often. When Kathy got up to go to the bathroom…"

"You took this on your cell phone?" Olivia asked, chuckling. "We do kind of look happy, don't we? You'd never guess that an hour after this was taken she yelled at me for ruining her life and told me she wished I was never born."

"That's why I took it," Elliot whispered. "So you'd always have this moment, this memory of her just being a mom." He brushed her hair back and kissed her. "Has she called you at all today?" he asked.

Olivia nodded as she yawned and put the framed photo of her and her mother down. She unbuttoned her collar and looked up at Elliot. "I guess I'm staying here tonight," she said, turning and walking toward the kitchen.

Elliot chuckled. "I'm not driving you home, and no way am letting you walk through Queens at this hour." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "What did she want?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"Do we have to talk about this?" Olivia asked, leaning into his kiss, but irritated at him at the same time.

"You have to talk about it," Elliot said, dropping small kisses to her neck again. "Might as well be now. With me."

Olivia moaned softly as his kisses grew in pressure, and she mumbled, "Wanted me to bring her a bottle of whiskey." She wrapped her hands around his back, behind her, and said, "Yelled at me because I told her I wouldn't."

"Hmmm," Elliot hummed against her skin. He spun her around in his arms and kissed around her neck, up to her lips. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Used to it," Olivia whispered back, trying to get lost in his kiss. Trying to forget her mother's drunken spouting of insults through the phone. Trying to forget that if they couldn't get something sold on Cassidy, he'd be coming after her. Not that she was scared; she knew that she could take care of herself, and Elliot would never let him near her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned into his mouth, pulling him tighter, the negative thought melting away.

"Dad," a voice from the bottom of the stairs called.

They broke apart quickly, both wiping their lips. "Yeah," Elliot shouted too quickly.

Kathleen walked toward them, chuckling. "It's not like I don't know you two kiss. Spending a whole week with you two was like watching a Nicholas Sparks movie. Anyway," she said, stopping. "Mom dropped us off an hour ago, she said she just couldn't handle us tonight. Is she okay?"

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Yeah, she'll, um, she'll be okay. Did you guys..."

"Stayed upstairs, locked the doors, didn't answer the phone," Kathleen listed. "We know how to stay home alone, Dad. We were just kind of looking forward to spending some time with Mom. We were all gonna try to convince her that Liv is really..."

"Don't talk about me with your mother," Olivia interrupted. "I am not her favorite person, and there's not gonna be any way of changing her mind." She smiled at the girl and said, "Thanks for thinking you could, though. And that you would, it means..."

"We love you, Liv," Kathleen said with a shrug. "We're all pretty sure that you're gonna be here for a while, and we know you're gonna be a part of Dad's life no matter what. We're just tired of her blaming you for things, and treating you like crap. You don't deserve it, and she's gonna have to get along with you."

Olivia looked at the teen and smiled. "Thanks," she said. It was all she could say.

"Was that it?" Elliot asked, still slightly embarrassed. If Kathleen had been a few minutes later, she would have seen him and Olivia in a very compromising position.

Kathleen nodded. "Just wanted to tell you we were home," she said with a yawn. She turned and headed up the stairs and said, "Goodnight," over her shoulder.

"'Night, pumpkin," Elliot yelled after, looking at Olivia. "Well, how about that?" he questioned.

Olivia chuckled. "Like I said, you have amazing kids."

"Now that we're alone," Elliot said, "Where were we?" He raised his left eyebrow and smirked.

"What is that look for?" Olivia asked, backing away from him.

Elliot chuckled, stalking her, backing her toward the first-floor bedroom. "What look?" he asked, sill smirking.

"You look like a hungry tiger," Olivia said as she tried to move behind the couch, her eyes narrowing. "New flash, buddy. I'm not a steak."

Elliot leaped over the couch and pulled her quickly into his arms. "Yeah, you are," he mumbled. He nibbled at her lips, then moved his mouth along her jaw line, then down her neck. He slipped his strong hands into her pants roughly, tugging aside the material and pushing a finger into her. "A juicy one," he snipped, moving them toward the bedroom again.

"El," Olivia whispered as she tried to move with him, finding it difficult.

Elliot twisted his finger as he got them through the bedroom doorway, and he hurled them both onto the bed. He pushed another finger into her as he tried to get her pants completely off with his other hand.

Olivia moaned and bit her lip. She helped him as best she could, finding her blind, flailing efforts fruitless. Finally, he managed to get her clothes off and pressed down on top of her, kissing her as his fingers worked their magic. She clung to him like a static charge, her breathing picking up as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. "Dream," she whispered, her eyes closed.

"What was that, baby?" Elliot asked, his lips against her neck.

It was only then that Olivia realized she'd even said anything. "This has to be a dream," she said, bucking into his hand. "All of this."

Elliot lifted his head, but didn't stop his fingers from moving. Instead, he slowed them down and moved his thumb back and forth over her swollen, sensitive clit, in agonizingly slow circles. "What?" he whispered.

Olivia, feeling herself ready to fall over the cliff and give into him, said, "God, I've wanted you for so long. And…Jesus Christ, Elliot…it's so easy, so amazing, I'm not this lucky."

Elliot felt her starting to clench around his fingers, and he flicked her clit once more before moving his hand, much to her dismay. "This isn't a dream," he whispered to her, sucking his fingers clean. He moaned at her taste and closed his eyes, delighting in her flavor. He put his fingers to work again, taking off her shirt and bra, then allowed her to help him remove his own clothes, that still smelled like the station. "We are this lucky," he told her.

Olivia ran her hands over his chest, moaning at the feel of him beneath her fingers, and he exhaled slowly as her palms brushed over his nipples. She slid her arms higher, looping them around his neck, and she pulled him down to her. She kissed him slowly and arched her back, asking him for something, feeling his tip gliding over her slit just barely as her hips reached up for his touch.

"I love you," Elliot said into her mouth, looping one arm around her back to hold her as the other palmed the mattress beneath him for leverage. He inched into her, knowing she was incredibly tight, and he groaned as he felt her wet warmth covering him.

"Love you," Olivia managed to say before her cries stuck in her throat. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out as he pushed deeper, needing her to swallow him whole.

Elliot thought for a moment that maybe this was a dream, the most amazing dream of his life, but he knew his reality was much better than any dream he could ever have. He held still, inside of her fully, and he dropped his lips to hers. He kissed her languidly as hips began to move.

Olivia moaned and squeezed the flesh of back in her palms, feeling him move hard, deep, and slow. She whispered his name and heard him grunt in response.

Elliot was gone. What was left in his wake was a possessive, claiming soul, declaring ownership of Olivia with his powerful sex. A rough and gentle being that decided right then that no man would ever touch her this way again, and promised that he would kill anyone who dared to even try.

* * *

The alarm buzzed too early for either of them, but they fell into routine quickly. They showered together, being sure to make the most of their time alone, and dressed quickly. Elliot scrambled eggs and fried bacon while Olivia packed lunches and signed permission slips. The kids ran down the stairs in their uniforms, first moving to Olivia, who checked each of them over. She narrowed her eyes at Dickie then held out her hand.

"Man," the boy whined, reaching into his pocket. "How did you even know?" he asked, slapping the whoopee cushion, hand-buzzer, and snapping pack of gum into her hand.

"I know your father," Olivia replied, turning her glare toward the man of the house.

"Hey!" Elliot snapped, fixing the plates. "Don't blame me! I never even told him about my penchant for practical jokes."

Olivia scoffed. "It's inherited," she said. "You didn't need to tell him." She tucked the tricks away in a drawer and kissed all of the kids on the forehead, then moved to Elliot. "See you in a few," she said to him.

"You're not gonna stay and eat?" Elliot asked, surprised.

Olivia shook her head. "I wanna see where we are on this whole Cassidy thing, I wanna talk to Greylek and see if his threat is viable enough to keep him locked up. I also think we'd raise a lot of eyebrows if we walked in together after you told Cragen we were nothing more than partners."

Elliot sighed. Then he put his plate down, tossing the eggs and bacon in between his two slices of toast. "Lock the door behind you, Mo," he said, kissing Maureen on the cheek. "Have fun at school," he said as he kissed Lizzie and Kathleen's heads. "And behave yourself," he added, scruffing his hand over the top of Dickie's head. He winked at Olivia and put his makeshift sandwich into his mouth to put on his jacket.

"You're insufferable," Olivia chuckled, pulling the food out of his mouth.

Elliot gave her a peck on lips as he chewed. "You love me," he said with a mouthful.

Olivia shook her head as she waved to the kids and followed him out of the door. They had just made it to his car when a cold voice behind them made them jump.

"Hello, Olivia," a chilling male voice said.

Elliot, not risking it, knowing, pulled his gun as he turned. "Hey, Cassidy."

**A/N: Cassidy made bail? Or was he released? What will Elliot do? What will Cassidy do? Something "new" in the next chapter, and drama with Liv's mama. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Cassidy made bail? Or was he released? What will Elliot do? What will Cassidy do? Something "new" in the next chapter, and drama with Liv's mama.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

Cassidy narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "Stabler," he said.

"What do you want, Cassidy?" Elliot asked, cocking his trigger.

Cassidy smirked and took a step forward. "Olivia," he said, tilting his head.

"Not gonna happen," Elliot said, stepping between Cassidy and Olivia, his gun still aimed. "How the hell did you..."

"Bail," Cassidy said. "You'd be surprised what people will do for you when you tell them what you'll do for them in return." He chuckled and said, "It's not gonna look good for her when they find out she bailed me out. Might throw her whole case out the window, actually."

Olivia pushed Elliot out of the way and folded her arms. "Who?" she asked, having a good idea.

"Kathy," Cassidy said with a grin. "I told her if she got me out, I would make sure you would never go near Elliot again, I'd find a way to send Elliot running back into her arms."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Elliot said, dropping the gun, moving quickly, and wrapping Cassidy in a choke hold. "Gun," he said to Olivia.

Olivia moved fast, ripping the gun out of Cassidy's hand. "Got it," she said with a nod. She backed away and watched as Cassidy struggled against Elliot's larger, stronger frame, and there was something incredibly chilling about the scene before her.

"Down," Elliot barked, pushing his weight against Cassidy.

Cassidy held back, trying to break out of his hold. His eyes were on Olivia. "Tell him," he spat. "Tell him, Olivia. Tell him you love me!" he yelled, apparently getting stronger as he got angrier.

Elliot held tight, though. "She doesn't love you, you son of a bitch. Get...down!"

"Olivia, tell him you can't love him!" Cassidy yelled. "You told me once! You can't love him because that would mean the end for you! The end of everything! You would have to give up your life, and he won't give up his for you, you know that! Tell him you have no choice," he spat, ripping his other arm free. "You're better with me, Benson! I don't have to give up anything for you," he said, his eyes narrow, evil.

Elliot looked up, narrowing his eyes slightly at Olivia. "What's he talking about?" he asked, struggling to hold onto Cassidy.

Olivia took a deep breath, swung her arm back, and landed a hard right hook to Cassidy's left cheek, knocking him out. "Nothing," she said, shaking out her hand. "Get him in the car."

Elliot raised both eyebrows as Cassidy hung limply in his arms and said, "Remind me never to piss you off."

"Never piss me off," Olivia said, her eyes serious, as she opened the rear passenger-side door.

"Thanks," Elliot scoffed, shoving Cassidy onto the backseat. He slammed the door, realized Brian's foot was caught, kicked it into the car, and slammed it again. "Now what was he saying? You can't love me?"

Olivia got into the passenger seat, watching Elliot get into the driver's seat. "I couldn't," she sighed. "You were married, and you're my partner. What we're doing...we're taking a pretty big risk. You lied to Cragen's face, Elliot. You know what that could..."

"So you didn't tell him you didn't love me," Elliot said, cutting her off and shoving the key in the ignition.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "No," she said. "I told him I couldn't. I did, I always loved you. I just knew...or thought...that..."

"You were wrong," Elliot interrupted, pulling away from the house. "You love me, I love you, that's all we need to know, right? That's all that matters now."

"Well," Olivia said, twisting her lip into a small smirk and raising an eyebrow, "That and we've got Cassidy out cold in the backseat, and your ex-wife bailed him out of jail, which means she has just lost any chance of getting him into court on a rape charge. That kind of matters right now."

Elliot looked at her, his gaze was serious for a moment, and then he broke out into a grin and laughed. "You're a nut," he said, shaking his head.

Olivia let a smirk spread across her face. "Takes one to know one," she said, looking out her window. She chuckled to herself, finding humor in their banter and their relationship, finding comfort how it had all come so easy.

* * *

Kim Greylek, the new A.D.A, sat on the edge of Elliot's desk with her arms folded. She shook her head and rubbed her hand across her brow, not understanding. "We don't have a case," she said. "I can't charge him."

"He showed up in front of my house, knowing Olivia was there," Elliot said, holding out his hands. "He was waiting there all morning for her, planning to hurt her. That's criminal loitering with the purpose of committing a sexual offense, a felony!"

Cragen tilted his head. "Why was she at your house?"

Elliot looked up at his captain. "Is that really the point here?" he asked, stunned. When he saw the serious look on Cragen's face he said, "She came over for breakfast, like she's done every morning for the past how many years, okay? It's Cassidy that had no right being outside..."

"Did he hit her?" Greylek asked, interrupting. "Hurt her at all?"

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head, "But he threatened her. He was acting nuts, saying crazy things, begging her to tell him she loved him. He's a couple egg rolls short of a pu-pu platter."

"Thanks," Olivia said, leaning back. "Now I'm hungry."

Elliot furrowed his brow at her and chuckled, then looked back at Greylek. "What can you hold him on?" he asked.

"Nothing," Greylek said. "He didn't do anything but threaten her, Stabler. You acted in defense because you felt threatened, but..."

"He had a gun," Olivia reminded the attorney. "That's possession of a firearm with intent to injure or kill."

Munch looked from Elliot to Olivia. "Did you two really memorize every, single penal code in the city?"

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head.

Olivia smirked. "The state," she said, folding her arms. "Look, Kim, the man openly threatened me to his last victim, then promised to hurt me so she would help him get out of jail. That's bribery, right there. Suddenly, he shows up at my partner's house, knowing I'm there, that has to mean something."

"It means he's a psycho," Greylek said, "But nothing he's done has..."

"Excuse me," a uniformed officer said, coming into the room. "Is Detective Benson here?" he asked, looking around, stepping toward Elliot expectantly.

Elliot pointed to Olivia. "That's Detective Benson," he said, snickering as the young cop's eyes widened.

"Sorry, Detective," he said. "Not used to women being..."

"Yeah," Olivia interrupted. "I'm used to it. Why do you need me?" she asked, folding her arms.

The man took off his cap. "Well, Detective, um..." he paused to clear his throat. "I think I may have...I might have, um..."

"I don't have all day," Olivia said, huffing.

"I arrested your mother," he said finally, closing his eyes. "I didn't know she was your mother when I picked her up. My captain was really mad, Detective. I need you to come down and..."

Olivia interrupted him again. "What for?" she asked, her voice soft, her arms dropping to her sides.

The cop looked around, then lowered his voice respectfully, speaking only to Olivia. "Disorderly conduct and resisting arrest," he said.

"She was drunk," Olivia whispered, looking at the cop.

He nodded. "My captain didn't process her, he knew who she was," he said. "You have to come down and get her, but I am so sorry, I didn't..."

"Charge her," Olivia said.

"I'm...what?" the cop asked, stunned. Cops usually never wanted their families run through the system for such minor offenses.

Olivia took a deep breath and repeated, "Charge her. Tell your captain I appreciate his discretion, and his courtesy, but she should have been arrested. You did your job. She should be processed, and charged. Run her through the system, and give me a call when she sobers up."

The cop looked at her, nodding once. "Okay, Detective Benson," he said. "Thank you."

"No," Olivia said, smiling at him. "Thank you." She watched the rookie walk away, then looked around the room. "Okay," she said with a sigh, "So what's happening with Cassidy?"

Elliot gave her a soft look, love and understanding in his eyes. "Greylek's charging him with harassment and assaulting an officer."

"Good," Olivia said, biting her lip. She sat in her chair and drummed her fingers along her desk, wondering if she made the right decision, or just the easy one.

* * *

Elliot was clearing off the dishes as the kids ran up the stairs to finish their homework, the threat of having Olivia hurt them if it wasn't done in the morning was enough to scare them into worshiping Biology.

He looked at her and sighed, dropping the dish in his hands into the sink. "Baby," he said, "You're teaching her a lesson and showing her that you're done bailing her out."

"I know that," she said to him. She finished wiping the table and tossed the paper towel into the bin. "Thanks for reminding me, though," she said, looking at him.

Elliot shook his head, chuckling. "I just thought..."

"Well, you were wrong," she interrupted, throwing his words back at him. "For a long time, I let her get to me because she was all I had. She isn't anymore. I need to be here for the kids and you, and she needs to start taking care of herself, because God knows she never took care of me."

Elliot took a step toward her and smirked. "That's new," he said, folding his arms and leaning against the table.

"What is?" Olivia asked, mimicking his stance.

"You just sounded like a grown up," Elliot told her. "But not just any grown up. Like, a wife-and-mother-type grown up."

Olivia let out a slow breath and shook her head, giving into him. "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck..."

"Then I got myself a fuckin' duck," Elliot interrupted with a sly grin, pulling her toward him and wrapping his arms around her.

Olivia laughed. "I've been known to do that on occasion," she joked, sliding her own hands down his back.

Elliot growled lightly into her ear and pulled her backward out of the kitchen. "Prove it, my little duckling," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

Olivia chuckled and bit her bottom lip as she followed him into the bedroom. "If you say anything about shaking my tail feathers, I might have to peck you to death," she quipped.

Elliot laughed as he kissed her and closed the door. He finally had her, right where he wanted her, and for the moment, she was happy. For the moment, he was happy, and they were living in bliss, not worrying about her mother, not worrying about Cassidy, not worrying about the case they closed an hour ago. For the moment, they could pretend something wasn't going to threaten to rip them apart in the morning. But only for the moment.

**A/N: What is it? Will we get to see the rest of the evening? And Greylek has an interesting moment with Elliot. Will he tell Olivia about it? And a day with the kids, coming up! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Greylek has an interesting moment with Elliot. Will he tell Olivia about it? And a moment with his kids.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

Elliot could neither wipe the smug grin off of face, nor stop smiling, as he whistled and walked down the hallway of the courthouse. Things had turned around, seemingly overnight, and he awoke with a new bounce in his step. Olivia, he noticed, was happier today, too, and had been since she woke up. The light in her eyes as they fluttered open that morning made his heart sing, and the way she kissed him made his body numb.

He shook thoughts of her to the back of his mind and knocked on the A.D.A's door, silencing his whistle to a low hum. The door opened and he pushed his way in, not even looking at the woman.

"Can we do this fast?" he asked her, sitting and resting his right foot on his left knee. "I have work to do," he said, the smirk still shining on his face.

Kim Greylek tilted her head. She scoffed at him and walked toward her desk, picking up a file. "You are recently divorced," she said, handing him the blue folder, "From our complaining victim."

"So…you knew that," Elliot said, taking the folder and shrugging.

Greylek folded her arms. "I don't know why she bailed him out, why she seems to want Cassidy to hurt your partner. Care to tell me?"

"Kathy," Elliot began, sighing. "She has always hated Liv. Detective Benson." He gestured with his hands as he spoke, trying to keep his real emotions in check. "She was always jealous, always assumed something was going on when it wasn't. Guess she still feels like Olivia's responsible for our failed marriage."

"She wasn't?" Greylek asked, dropping her arms and stepping closer.

"Absolutely not," Elliot said, shaking his head. "Things with Kathy and me…have always been rough. Bad, most of the time. Liv…Olivia had nothing to do with it."

Greylek grinned. "Okay," she said, "Then she has no way out of this, she will be charged with conspiracy."

"What?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "Greylek, you can't charge a rape victim…"

"She lost the right of being treated like a victim the minute she signed the check," Greylek interrupted. "She bailed her attacker out of jail and allowed him to hunt your partner down. That's not a victim, Stabler, that's an accomplice."

Elliot bit his lip and shook his head. He knew, even though she may deserve it, Kathy wouldn't handle jail well, and she'd only take some kind of action against him and Olivia. He also knew that she was better used on the stand, testifying against Cassidy to save her own ass. "I don't feel right about locking her up, if she was raped…I think we can make her turn over, tell us everything if…"

"I know," Greylek said, sauntering over and sitting beside him. "That's why I called you down here. I'm gonna make her a deal…for you…and your partner, because I know she's very concerned with victims and…"

"She has a name," Elliot interrupted, his voice sharp.

"What?" Greyleck asked, taken aback.

Elliot shook his head. "You keep calling her 'my partner'. Her name's Olivia. Detective Olivia Benson," he said. "It's not hard to remember."

"You're very protective of her, aren't you?" Greylek asked, a small smile crossing her lips.

Elliot nodded. "I have to be," he said. "If anyone hurts her, I…" he paused, smiled arrogantly, and said, "No one hurts or disrespects her. That includes you."

"You have an attitude problem, Stabler," Greylek said. Without warning, then, she leaned far over him, grabbed him through his pants, narrowed her eyes as she looked into his shocked blue ones, and said, "I like attitude."

Elliot saw her moving closer to kiss him, and he turned his head and gave her a hard shove, getting off the couch. "What the hell?" he yelled.

Greyleck, both more turned on and mildly offended, chuckled. "You are a feisty one, aren't you?" she asked. She sat back on the couch and crossed her legs, spreading her arms out, a position of power. "Stabler," she said, "I want you, and I have ways of getting what I want."

"Yeah?" Elliot said, pissed off and a tiny bit flattered, "Well, I'm pretty good at getting what I want, too. And I do not, no offense, do not want you."

Greylek licked her lips and furrowed her brow. "May I ask why not?" she questioned. Refusal was something she clearly wasn't used to.

"I just got divorced, for one thing," Elliot said, running his ring-free hand down his face, "And I'm seeing someone. Someone I…it's serious, so…just…stay the hell away from me."

"You don't find me attractive? That it?" Greylek asked, rising and walking toward him.

Elliot backed away and said, "No, actually, I don't." He turned and grabbed the doorknob, then looked over his shoulder, "You're in my unit, Greylek, so we have to work together. You don't wanna mess with me, though. You do your job, you get Cassidy's ass in a cage, or I will call McCoy and tell him about your temporary lapse in sanity. Nasty little harassment suit, that would be."

Greylek's eyes widened. The tables turned on her rather quickly, and now she was the one on the other end of the deal. "Fine," she said, folding her arms. "But don't think this is over, Stabler."

Elliot sneered at her, threw the door open, and left, furious. His good mood had just been ruined, though his ego was definitely bigger now than it had been when he walked to the courthouse.

* * *

The rest of the day went badly, too. Elliot and Olivia had a slaughtered family to deal with, with children involved, a lot of them. They both got worked up when cases involving young ones came around, and they desperately needed the comfort of each other and a warm bed tonight. He opened the door for her, letting her in, and as soon as it was closed behind him, he turned, unleashing his held-back anger on the door.

"Elliot!" Olivia snapped, turning to face him. She took his hand in hers and shook her head. "Knock it off," she said, softer, with concern in her eyes.

Elliot linked his fingers with hers, sighed, and said, "Today has been…"

"I know what today has been," Olivia said, cutting him off. "I was there. I saw the kids, I saw the blood, I need a shower, I don't need you breaking your hand or the door."

Elliot shook his head and pulled on her hand, tugging her into his arms. "Not just the case. Shit, Liv, the whole damn day…I can't…"

"What happened?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Forget it," Elliot said, suddenly pulling away from her. He blinked twoce and headed for the bathroom.

Olivia followed him closely. "You never let me just forget things," she said, walking into the bathroom after him. She watched as he ripped off his clothes, throwing them angrily into the hamper. "What happened?" she asked again.

"Damn it, Liv," he snapped, looking at her, throwing his hand out and up, "I don't want to fucking talk about it!"

Olivia scowled at him, her arms folded. "If you ever make me talk when I don't want to again, you're ass is gonna be sorry," she said, hurt in her eyes. She shook her head and turned, leaving, but he grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said, pulling her back. "Wait…I…I'm sorry," he said with another heavy sigh. "I just…I don't know how to tell you this without you flipping shit, or walking out of here for good, or…"

"I don't like where this is going," Olivia said, pulling her arm out of his hold and resting her hands on her hips.

Elliot looked into her eyes, seemingly reaching into her soul, and he said, "Greylek…hit on me." He said it, and he made a face as soon as the words left his mouth. "No, more than that," he said with a shudder.

"How much more?" Olivia asked, irritation and anger rising.

"Baby, I pushed her off of me," Elliot said, assuring her. "She grabbed me, tried to kiss me, she…she was pretty damn aggressive, and she's probably not done trying to..."

Olivia interrupted with wide eyes. "Did you…"

"No," Elliot said too soon, shaking his head. "I would never…I don't even think she's…no. You. There's just you."

Olivia chuckled a bit and said, "I was asking if you told her. About me? About us?"

"Oh," Elliot said, his eyes screwing together for a moment. "I told her I was seeing someone, and that it was serious. I didn't say it was you. I can't risk doing that. I threatened her," he said, changing the subject. "I told her if she didn't do whatever she could to put Cassidy away, I'd tell Jack."

Olivia nodded once. "You know I trust you, right?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Where did that come from?" Elliot asked, confused.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me like that," Olivia said. "For one thing, you know I'd beat the shit out of you. Another thing, we're risking everything by being together. Our families, our jobs, our friendship and partnership, and I don't think you would throw all of that away. Not for someone like Kim Greylek."

"Not for anybody," Elliot said, his voice low, soft, serious. "I just thought you'd…I thought you'd…" He looked at her. He couldn't say it.

Olivia smiled at him and brought a hand up to caress his cheek. "I would never think it was you. I've never put as much faith and trust in anyone before, El, as I have in you." She gave him a soft kiss and whispered against his lips, "Greylek, though, better watch her fucking ass. She's messing with the wrong bitch."

Elliot chuckled and pulled her closer, giving her short, playful kisses, and between them, he said, "I know she is."

"I love you," Olivia said, burying her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"I love you, too, baby," Elliot said, his hands grazing her body. "Shower," he said, "Then sleep. A lot of sleep."

Olivia nodded against his skin. "Are you okay?" she asked, lifting her head. "Those kids, they…"

"Shh," Elliot said, kissing her to silence her. "Not tonight. Not now. I'm fine, I've let it go. Have you?"

Olivia nodded, scraping her nails down his bare back. "I'll be okay," she said, kissing his shoulder. "I have you."

"You do," Elliot said with a smile and a nod, "And as long as I've got you, I'm perfect."

Olivia hummed. "You are perfect," she said, happiness creeping into her voice. "Even with your Hulk-like temper."

Elliot chuckled and kissed her, wrapping the hem of her shirt around his hands, readying himself to pull it off of her. Her cell phone rang, stopping him, and he pulled his lips off of hers and rolled his eyes. "That had better be important," he mumbled, dropping his lips to her neck so she could answer it.

Olivia suppressed a moan as she lifted the device to her ear and said, "Benson." She listened for a moment, then pushed Elliot away from her. "Mom, slow down, what?" she asked, her heart suddenly in her throat. "No, that's not why I…Mom, stop it, you have to…Mom!" she yelled. She shoved the phone into her pocket and turned away from Elliot. "I have to go," she hissed.

"Liv!" Elliot called after her, following her through the rooms with his shirt off. "Liv, stop! I'm coming with you," he said, grabbing a blue sweatshirt off of the coat rack.

"No," Olivia said, holding up a hand, grabbing her keys off of the table. "If you come with me, then Cragen's gonna know."

Elliot shook his head and furrowed his brow. "What? How would he…"

"Because my mother is at the station," Olivia said, turning to face him, her anger clear on her face. "She told Cragen the reason I let her sit in a cell is because I was too busy screwing my partner to care!"

"Look, we'll tell him…we went out for a few drinks after work. We haven't been home that long. It's plausible," Elliot tried. "He'd believe it, I don't want you going there alone, not with her…"

"Elliot," Olivia said, looking at him fiercely, "Stay home. Stay with your kids. I'm gonna go deal with this, and hopefully Cragen will think this is just one of her drunken rambles. I just…I need you to stay here." The truth was, she didn't want him to see the mess she became around her mother, the reverting back to her childhood that occurred, the vulnerability . If she could help it, he would never witness it.

Elliot nodded. "Okay," he said, giving up.

Olivia looked at him, sighed, and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll be back," she whispered to him. She kissed him again and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby," he replied, letting her go, watching her leave. He ran a hand through his hair and heard his daughter's voice from the top of the stairs.

"Did she leave, too? Like Mom?" Lizzie asked, looking down at her father.

Elliot looked up and shook his head. "No, pumpkin," he said. "Liv will be back. She had to go take care of something."

Another face appeared behind Lizzie. "Her mother?" Maureen asked, tilting her head.

"Come down here," Elliot said. "Both of you." He watched as the two girls descended the stairs, and then asked, "How did you know this was about Liv's mom?"

"We heard yelling," Lizzie said.

"I thought you were fighting, but then…she said something about her mother. We heard her," Maureen explained.

Elliot brushed his daughter's hair back, looked into her soft blue eyes, and said, "Mo, honey, she's coming back. I promise."

Lizzie looked at the door, puzzled. "Mothers are supposed to take care of their children," she said. "Not the other way around," she added, looking at her father.

"You're so smart, Lizzie," Elliot whispered, kissing the top of her head. "That's right," he said, his heart breaking both for his own children and Olivia.

"How come Liv takes such good care of us if her mother wasn't a very good one?" Lizzie asked, tilting her head.

"Because, honey," Elliot said, smiling at the words his daughter had said, "Olivia has always been independent. She took care of herself, her whole life. I guess, she's a born nurturer, and she loves you guys. So much. You know that, right?"

Lizzie nodded with a smile, and Maureen said, "Yeah."

"I promise," Elliot said, looking both girls in the eyes, darting from one to the other, "She will be back. She's coming back."

His daughters gave him quick kisses and ran back up the stairs.

Elliot looked at the front door, then, wondering if, for the first time in his life, he made a promise to his kids that he couldn't keep.

**A/N: Olivia's confrontation with her mother and Cragen, and a run-in with Greylek. Also, a very domestic Sunday morning! Coming at ya! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Olivia's confrontation with her mother and Cragen, and a run-in with Greylek.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia walked back into the house, exhausted and hurt beyond belief, at close to four in the morning. She walked into the kitchen, figuring sleep would be pointless if she had to be up in an hour for work.

She poured herself a cup of coffee, then popped the mug into the microwave. As she watched the turntable spin through the door, she heard her mother's vicious words echoing through her head.

_You were a mistake. No one will ever love you. How could you do that to me, I'm your mother, the only person who will ever care about you. If this is how you treat your own mother, you should never have children! You'll only screw them up and make them resent you, the way you resent me, the way I resent you! And that partner of yours? He's just using you, Olivia. Just like every other man in your life has, because you, you little slut, are only good for one thing!_

It took everything Cragen had not to arrest the woman, but Olivia managed to calm her down and take her home. Not after Cragen outright asked if she was sleeping with Elliot. She lied to him. She said, "No, of course not!"

Cragen believed her, because he wanted to, and because the woman who had accused her of doing such a thing was three sheets to the wind and violently berating her daughter.

Olivia had never seen him so angry, he was actually yelling at her mother, and she felt an overwhelming surge of guilt for lying to him. She had no choice, though, and she knew it. She dragged her mother out of the squad room, brought her home, made sure she got inside and went right to bed, and then drove back to Elliot's.

The tears came in the car, and they stopped as she turned the key in the door. The last thing she needed was Elliot seeing her cry.

The microwave beeped, but she was still staring at a cracked tile on the kitchen wall. That was her life, cracked, being held up only by the tiles next to it, and they would either eventually leave, letting it fall, or they would begin to crack, too. Elliot and the kids were holding her up, and she needed to fix herself before she broke them.

"Baby," Elliot said, snapping her out of her grim thoughts, "What happened?"

"Why are you awake?" she asked, reaching up to get her coffee.

Elliot walked over to her and kissed the very center of her forehead. "I can't sleep without you. I can't sleep knowing you're not safe, not in my arms."

Olivia sighed. "It's gonna suck for you when I go home, then, huh?" she said, sipping her coffee.

Elliot looked down at her, slight hurt in his eyes. "What?" he asked.

"Elliot," she said, putting down the mug, "I have a life that doesn't involve you, an apartment in Midtown that I need to go back to, face it, this isn't gonna work." "You're wrong," Elliot told her, pulling her close. "What did she say to you?" he asked, not seeing any trace of the woman he was with a few hours ago.

"She told me…she told me the truth, Elliot. She told me something that I'd forgotten, that I thought wasn't…"

"What did the woman say to you, Liv?" Elliot asked, his voice darker, severe.

Olivia blinked at him, then pushed herself out of his arms. "She told me that I was ruining your life just like I ruined hers, that this was only gonna lead to both of us getting hurt because I don't know how to…"

"You believe that shit?" he asked, almost yelling. "How many times do I have to say it before you believe it? I love you, I'm in love with you, nothing you could say or do is gonna change that. You are the only person in my life who hasn't ruined it, now stop listening to the drunken ramblings of your lunatic mother!"

Olivia sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "El, I've been told…my whole life…that I'm worthless, and I'm incapable of being loved, that I'm half-monster-half-victim," she said, trying to keep the tears back. "You telling me the complete opposite for a few months…it can't just cancel out twenty-eight years."

"So I will just have to tell you every day, baby," he said, reaching out for her. "For the next twenty-eight years, and every day after that."

Olivia let him pull her into his arms, and she hesitated a moment before wrapping hers around him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then sighed softly into his chest.

"She got to you tonight," he told her. "This isn't you, baby. You've always told me you didn't believe anything she said, and that you could easily…"

"I was lying," she interrupted. "I always heard every word, and I always believed it, and I'm trying so hard to find reasons to think that she's the one with the problem, but tonight…" she paused and shook her head. "Tonight sucked. She brought you and the kids into it, she almost cost me my job, I can't deal with her anymore…but she's my mother. When she isn't drinking, El, she is my mother."

Elliot held her and thought her voice sounded shaky, as if she might be crying. He rubbed her back and pulled her tighter, making sure she felt safe and secure. "Baby," he whispered, "Believe me, I know exactly how you feel. Don't push me away because she was trying to hurt you, Liv. You know…you know what this is, don't you?"

Olivia sniffled and blinked away the tears, her expertise at hiding her feelings being put to good use, and looked up at him. "Us?" she asked.

"No, honey, your mother," he told her. He led her toward the couch and sat with her, then leaned back, pulling her on top of him. "She's jealous. She's so damn jealous of you because you are doing everything she couldn't do. And instead of being happy for you, she resents you."

Olivia was stunned. Her mother had said that, too. She resented her. "Maybe," Olivia said.

"We have about an hour," Elliot said. "Take a nap, then we'll talk about this nonsense about you leaving. Because I'll be damned if I'm letting you go anywhere." He kissed her, and he sighed in relief when she willingly kissed him back, sending them both to sleep happy.

* * *

"Remind me again why you needed me to come with you?" Olivia said, folding her arms as they waited in the hallway of the municipal court.

Elliot smirked. "Because, if we're not in the precinct, I can kiss you," he said.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "That baker wasn't very happy, by the way."

"He didn't have to stand there and watch," Elliot said, shrugging.

Olivia chuckled. "We were blocking his door," she reminded him.

"Still," Elliot said, brushing it off with another shrug. "And, uh, I kind of…don't wanna be alone if Greylek's…"

"Oh," Olivia interjected. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah, you had a lot to deal with last night. I, on the other hand, can't get rid of the horrifying feeling of her hands all over me."

Olivia smirked and ran her hand up his back, looking at him hungrily. "You starting to forget?" she asked softly, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Forget what?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her. His lips just brushed hers when he saw her back up and squint.

"Yeah," she said loudly. "It looks like an eyelash," she said, turning around.

Kim Greylek, smirking, strode up next to them and crossed her arms. "You two look friendly," she said, eyeing Elliot.

"He had something in his eye," Olivia said, justifying their close proximity a moment ago. "How'd it go?" she asked, looking at the woman.

"Grand Jury is indicting," Greylek said. "Looks like Cassidy will have his day in court, and as long as you both testify, we can get him."

Elliot looked at Olivia and rubbed his eye, for pretense, and said, "Great. Thanks."

"Before you go," Greylek said, grabbing his wrist. "I need to ask you something," she said, her hand sliding up his arm.

Olivia felt horrible anger surge through her, worse than it ever had. This was something new, she thought, and she wasn't sure if it meant she was afraid of losing him, or pissed off that Greylek could even think Elliot would give her the time of day. Maybe it was both.

"What?" Elliot asked, ripping his arm away from her. He backed up, stepping closer to Olivia.

"What are you doing tonight?" Greylek asked, smiling brightly as her hand slid down his chest and toward his pants. "Maybe your partner could watch your kids for you, you and I could…"

"Excuse me?" Olivia said, shocked. She thought of the first thing she could say that wouldn't implicate her jealousy. "Where do you get off assuming I'd be his babysitter?"

Greylek turned. "You wouldn't do him a favor so he could go on a date?" she asked, her voice vile. "You would begrudge him that? What, you want him for yourself, is that it?"

Olivia poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue and she shook her head, trying to stay calm. "No, but if he wanted you, he might have taken you in your office when you threw yourself at him. You're that desperate, huh?"

"No man has ever refused," Greylek said. "Unlike you, Olivia, I do not get rejected. You, on the other hand, are even turned away by your own mother. That's just…"

Before Greylek could finish speaking, Olivia's fist collided with her cheek. She was breathing hard as she watched the woman wince and keel over in pain, and she said, "What happens between me and my mother is none of your business."

"You hit me," Greylek said, blinking rapidly and trying to cover the already-swelling area. "You bitch!"

"Takes one to know one," Olivia spat. "And I doubt that you'll take action, not unless you want my partner to file a sexual harassment suit, which could cost you a hell of a lot more than a black eye."

Greylek looked at Elliot. "You wouldn't," she said. "Elliot, I could be good for you. You and me? Detective and attorney? It's the ultimate power couple, and you know you'd be very…very well taken care of."

"My girl takes amazing care of me," Elliot said, smirking like a devil and pushing Greylek away from him. "I would, too. If that's what it'll take to get through to you."

"I have never seen a man like you play so damned hard to get," Kim said, shaking her head. "Think about it," she said. "Call me if you change your mind." She turned to Olivia and sneered, then added, "And request a new partner. Maybe one with some femininity and class, less of an attitude problem."

Elliot balled his fists. "You're blind," he said. "She's got more class in her little finger than you have at all, and she's an amazing woman. It's a shame you pissed her off, and will never know the kind of friend she can be. She's an incredible friend, Greylek, but she's also one fucking incredible enemy." He gave Olivia a shove toward the door, and said, looking at Kim, "Have fun being on her bad side, and good luck. You'll need it."

Olivia rubbed her knuckles as he led her out of the courthouse, and shook her head. "Man, she had a hard head," she said, seething as she opened and closed her fist.

Elliot chuckled. "You punched her," he said. "Why?" he asked.

"She said…"

"The real reason," Elliot said, stopping her and turning her to face him. "Tell me what made you hit her like that. Tell me the truth.  
Olivia sighed and rolled her eyes slowly. "You," she admitted. "The way she was looking at you, and touching you, I wanted to rip her head off."

"Now, you know how I felt whenever you made me talk to one of your boyfriends," he chuckled.

Olivia shook her head. "No, El, I've always been jealous of Kathy, but this was…"

"This was you defending me, guarding your property," he said with a smug grin. He brushed her hair back and kissed her sweetly. "Because I am yours, Liv," he said. He kissed her again and said, "And you're mine. Just mine."

Olivia looked at him and nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yeah," she said. "I am definitely yours."

"So all that crap last night about…"

"Forget it," she said, stopping him. "I know you love me, and I was just…I was a little emotional and…"

"I know," he whispered, kissing her. "Promise me, baby. Promise that you will never let her get to you like that again."

She waited a moment, still and quiet, and then she nodded and kissed him. "You and me," she said. "Real, easy, honest," she reminded him as much as herself.

"Always," he said to her. He wrapped an arm over her shoulders and said, "Tomorrow. You and me, the kids, and Central Park. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a date," Olivia said, tilting her head.

Elliot laughed. "It is," he said, kissing her once as they walked back toward the precinct.

Someone behind them had just heard it all. They heard something new, something that could destroy them or save them. They were going to do one of those things, and they were going to do it soon.

**A/N: Who heard them? Will they help or hurt? A day with kids might not be the walk in the park Elliot is hoping for, and news about Olivia's mother changes everything. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Who heard them? Will they help or hurt? A day with kids might not be the walk in the park Elliot is hoping for, and news about Olivia's mother changes everything.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Will you put the camera down?" Maureen asked, rolling her eyes.

Elliot chuckled and shook his head. "No way," he said. "We need all the real, happy, family pictures we can get."

Lizzie rolled her eyes then, too, and said, "But Dad, we're just standing in a bunch of leaves. This is not a Kodak moment!"

"Ah, see, you're standing with your family in a bunch of leaves," Elliot reminded her. "It's always a Kodak moment," he laughed.

"You're not gonan be in the picture?" Olivia asked. "Gimme the camera, come over here, take a picture with your kids. It's your family."

"Our family," Elliot said. He dropped his hands to his sides and looked around, hoping to find someone close by. "Excuse me," he said, walking over to a very pregnant young woman on the bench a few feet away. "Can you take a picture for us?" he asked, gesturing to his kids and Olivia.

The woman smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said, standing up. She took the camera and watched as Elliot ran over, wrapping one arm around Olivia and the other around Kathleen. Olivia rested her head on his shoulder and one of her hands on Dickie's shoulder, and they smiled.

The flash went off and they relaxed, the woman walked over and handed Elliot the camera, and said, "You have a beautiful family."

"Thank you," Elliot said with a nod. "I know I do."

"Your wife…she looks familiar," the woman said, suddenly tilting her head as she looked at Olivia.

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Wife? Oh, uh, does she?" he asked.

The woman nodded. Then she gasped. "Oh, God," she whispered. She walked over to Olivia and spat out an excited, "Detective Benson!"

Olivia popped her head up and saw the woman. "Do I…do I know you?"

"The last time you saw me, I was eighteen and covered in cuts and bruises," the woman admitted. "You…saved my life."

"Oh, wow, Amelia?" Olivia asked, squinting a bit. "You look…"

"Large," the woman laughed. "I know," she nodded. "I'm due in a few weeks. I was hoping I'd see you again someday. This," she said, rubbing her belly, "Never would have been possible if it wasn't for you."

"Yeah," Maureen said with a smile. "Our mom's pretty amazing."

"Yes, she is," Amelia said. "What happened to your partner?" she asked. "I was so rude to him, I…I couldn't even look at him. Will you tell him I'm sorry?"

"Tell him yourself," Olivia said with a smile, nodding at Elliot.

Amelia turned and felt slightly embarrassed. "Wow," she said, "Detective Stabler…I'm sorry…I didn't recognize…"

Elliot held up a hand and gently smiled. "You never got a good enough look at me," he said. "I understand. And you don't need to thank us, we were just doing our job."

Amelia nodded. "You didn't come across as a married couple," she chuckled. "You do your jobs very well."

Elliot grinned. "Thank you," he said, pretending to bow.

Amelia laughed then, too. "Well, I have a doctor's appointment. Enjoy your day," she said, "And I know that everyone else you've helped, before me and since me, is just as grateful. You can't tell us not to be thankful for you giving us our lives back." She smiled and nodded at both Olivia and Elliot, then walked down the path, with a new kick in her step.

"That was so weird," Elliot said, walking up to Olivia. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her head.

"People thank us like that all the time," Olivia countered.

"No," Elliot said. "It was weird that, when she called you my wife, I didn't correct her."

Olivia looked over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. "Weird?" she asked, confused.

"Not weird in a bad way," Elliot assured her, "Just...ya know...weird. I heard her, I thought about telling her you weren't my wife, but I couldn't. It would feel like…almost like lying."

Olivia turned all the way around in his arms, narrowing her eyes slightly. "El," she began, "I'm not your…"

"You might as well be," he said, kissing her. He smiled against her lips and said, "You know it."

Olivia chuckled, wrapping her arms around him and deepening the kiss. They broke apart only when they got pelted with small rocks and leaves. "Hey!" Olivia shouted.

The kids, responsible for the assault, laughed and kept tossing the leaves at them.

Elliot, smirking, bent over and grabbed some leaves, tossing them at his son. Olivia got into the action, throwing twigs and leaves at Lizzie and Kathleen. The family laughed as they chased each other through the park, stopping to pick up piles of leaves and throw them at each other, but they all stopped when they heard Elliot's voice, serious and loud, shout, "Liv, stop!"

Olivia halted, immediately dropping the rock in her hand. "What?" she asked, knowing what that tone in his voice meant.

"Kids, stay back," he said, holding up a hand. "Liv, don't let them come over here." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at Olivia, who had Lizzie and Dickie clutched tightly with Maureen and Kathleen behind her. "Cap?" he questioned into the phone, "Yeah, I know it's my day off, I'm at the park with my kids. You need to, uh, send a unit down here, now." He paused as the captain spoke, and then he sighed. "Because I just found a body. It's Greylek."

Olivia's hand shot off of Dickie's shoulder and over her mouth. Her eyes widened. "What?" she gasped through the palm of her hand.

Elliot looked at her once and nodded, still listening to the captain. "No, uh, I'll call Liv. She'll have to come get my kids, take them home and come…yeah. Okay." He hung up and said, "Take them home, change, get back here. Act like I called you. Just…go."

Olivia furrowed her brow at him for a moment, hating that they had to lie and pretend, but she did as he asked. She walked the kids out of the park and took a cab back to his place in Queens. She made sure the kids got in safely and locked the door, then took the cab back to her Manhattan apartment. She changed, turned up the heat a bit, and left again, walking toward Central Park. She knew it would have been easier to take Elliot's car, but how would he explain being there without one, as he lived in Queens?

She shook her head and sighed as she walked, wondering when she had become so good at being deceitful, but figured it must have come from years of being a detective. You know which clues to look for, so you make sure you don't leave them behind.

She walked into the park again, heading back toward Elliot, who was now surrounded by a team of crime scene analysts, Munch and Cragen, and Melinda Warner. She strode up, acting as if she knew nothing, and said, "I'm here, El. Can you tell me what the hell is going on now?"

Cragen turned and looked at her. "Elliot was having a leaf-fight with his kids, when he grabbed a hand instead of a rock. He looked down and saw the vic." He pointed. "Kim Greylek."

Olivia shook her head. "Shit," she mumbled, folding her arms.

"Why was she even in the park?" Munch asked, shrugging.

"She lived in the neighborhood," Olivia answered. "She probably cut through the park to go home. I do it all the time," she said matter-of-factly.

"Not anymore, you don't," Elliot warned.

Olivia scoffed. "All right, Dad," Olivia spat. They were so good at this it was scary. "Melinda, what have you got?" she asked, turning her attention toward the medical examiner.

"Cause of death, as far as I can tell, is asphyxiation. Strangulation marks around her neck here, there's a pattern, like small chain-links," Warner said, pointing to Greylek's throat as Olivia and Elliot knelt beside her.

Olivia felt Elliot's hand run discreetly over her lower back. She smirked a bit, knowing that was just his chronic need to touch her at least once every seven minutes when they were together. "Was she raped? Was this just an attack? Gimme something here," Olivia said, biting her lip.

"Well there's a black and yellow bruise, concealed under a lot of makeup, on her left cheek," Warner said with a grin. "But I know where that came from," she added with a chuckle. "Her clothes are torn, and there's evidence of sexual assault, but the elements out here…the wind, the leaves, the dirt, and the fact that she was practically buried under this bench…I doubt I'll find anything viable. I'll know more when I get her on my table."

Elliot nodded. "Let us know as soon as you do," he said, getting to his feet. He held out a hand to help Olivia up, something he usually always did, but this time it meant more. He gave her hand a light squeeze before dropping it, and nodded at her. "Cap," he called to Cragen, "What do you want us to do?"

Cragen folded his arms. "Your jobs," he said. "You've never needed me to hold your hands before, Stabler. Do what you always do. Me and Munch are gonna go see McCoy, tell him he's down one A.D.A, and we need one ASAP," he said, giving them a nod. "Oh, and Olivia, next time you wanna punch an A.D.A, make sure they aren't on anyone's shit list."

Olivia gave Cragen a small smile and a gentle nod, then looked at Elliot. "Hi-ho, hi-ho," she said.

"It's off to work we go," Elliot finished.

Cragen chuckled at their little inside joke. Then he sighed, knowing that, if he didn't watch them closely, something new would form between them. Something dangerous.

He turned to walk away, leaving them to do their thing, when his cell phone rang. He peered down at it with a question mark written on his face. "Cragen, Special Victims," he said, answering the call. His eyes widened as he listened, then he turned and looked at Olivia. "Yes, she is. Yes, I will. Thanks, Mulrooney." He snapped his phone shut and shouted, "Benson!"

Olivia turned around. "Yeah?" she called.

"Forget Greylek," Cragen said, shaking his head. "Stabler, take your partner down to Mercy, now."

Olivia's face grew serious. "Why?" she asked, before Elliot could.

Cragen sighed. "There's been an accident. A few blocks from here. Your mother was driving…"

"Oh, God," Olivia said, feeling her body go cold. Elliot didn't ask questions, and he didn't care what it would look like. He pulled her close, clutched her hand, and ran with her out of the park and toward his car, hoping it wasn't as bad as he was thinking it might be.

**A/N: Her mother changes everything, but how? Is she okay? And we find out who killed Kim, next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Her mother changes everything, but how? Is she okay? And we find out who killed Kim. I promise, the chapter after this is back to domestic cheer and fluffy fun. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Sitting in the waiting room, Olivia and Elliot sat nervously awaiting news about her mother. "I can't believe this," Olivia whispered. "My mother…that woman…El, she was pregnant. I can't…"

"Calm down," Elliot said. "The doctor already said that Amelia and the baby are gonna be okay, she just has a broken leg."

"I know, but it could have been so much worse," she said, shaking her head. "El, what if my mother doesn't…"

"She will," he assured her. "I talked to Mulrooney. You're mother hit her head, there's some internal bleeding, but she will survive, baby."

Olivia shook her head. She looked down at the cold tiled floor, dropped her head to his shoulder, and let a tear fall. "I thought it was over," she whispered. "When Cragen got that phone call, I thought it was all over. I thought…does it make me a horrible person?"

"No, it means that you're ready to let her go now," Elliot said. "You don't wanna worry about her anymore. You wouldn't have had to, I understand that, baby."

She sniffled again. "I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping her eyes. "I shouldn't be crying."

"She's your mother, she just hit a pregnant woman with a car because she was drunk, you have every right to cry," he said softly, wiping her eyes. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."

"No," Olivia said, shaking her head. "It isn't," she whispered.

"I'm right here, baby," he whispered back, kissing her forehead. "I got you, it's all gonna be okay," he promised.

They sat in silence for a moment, and then heard footsteps coming toward them. Elliot looked to his left and saw a surgeon, in blood-spattered scrubs, and he stood up. "Doctor Lynch," he said, "How is she?"

"We stopped the bleeding, but the knock on her head was pretty serious," the doctor said. "She's in recovery, room 1213, and you can go up and see her now."

"How serious are we talking?" Elliot asked, folding his arms, keeping his voice low for Olivia's sake.

The doctor sighed. "Serious," he said. "MRI showed some bleeding and swelling, which we've controlled, but just warn Olivia…"

"She doesn't need to be warned," Elliot interrupted. "Part of her has been prepared for this her for years." He turned to Olivia, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. He walked with her toward the elevator, and as they stepped through the sliding, metal doors, he pulled her close, enveloping her in his arms.

She held on tight, closing her eyes, basking in his warmth and his love, wondering how she ever did without him, terrified she'd be without him again.

He kissed the crown of her head and whispered, as if reading her mind, "I'm not going anywhere, honey. I will always be right here, with you. I promise."

She looked up at him, her red eyes peering into his dry, clear ones. "I love you," was all she could say. There were so many words floating around in her mind, so many phrases threatening to fly out of her mouth, ready to yell at him for lying to her, scream at him for leading her on, but for some reason they were all quieted as she looked into his eyes. All that was left was, "I love you." That's when she knew that what was happening between them was more real than anything she'd ever known.

The doors opened, the pair walked slowly toward her mother's room, and they crept in quietly. Olivia fell into the chair near the bed, still clutching Elliot's hand. "I think I've spent most of my life looking at her like this. Unconscious and clueless," she said with a scoff.

"Liv," Elliot said, his tone seeming to beg her to stop.

"I'm serious, El," she said shaking her head. "Do you know how many times I tried to leave? Sneak out when she was passed out?"

Elliot sat beside her, stroking the side of her hand with his thumb, and asked, "What stopped you?"

"She did," Olivia whispered, a tear falling. "I would pack, grab the door handle, and then think…who would take care of her if I left? Who would be there to help her if she ever…did something like this? I was more worried about her than I was about myself. Even after…after she tried to…with the bottle…I…"

"Shh," he hushed, pulling her into his arms, hoping to quiet her sobs. "You're her daughter, you love her, Liv. You felt obligated and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I don't know what it's like, El," she cried into his chest. "I don't know what it's like to have parents who give a shit, to have a family that loves and supports, and…I'm sorry if I've been clinging to you, but I'm just so afraid that now that I have…"

"Hey," he said, tilting her head up and stopping her talking, "I started this, remember? I wanted you to cling, and I wanted you to move fast with me. Liv, we've wasted so much time already, baby. I have always been your family, I love and support you unconditionally, and that's never gonna change." He watched her eyes lighten and he smiled slightly. "You will never feel like that again. You will never be alone, and you can stop being afraid that I'm gonna wake up one day and realize I don't want you."

"I'm not afraid of that," she said. "For the first time in my life, El, I know you're always gonna be there. I know that. I've never felt so loved, so safe, and so happy. That's why I…"

"It's easy," he said with a chuckle. "Love is easy, baby. It should be, if it's real." He looked over her shoulder and said, "Your mother probably felt the same way, growing up. After her attack it only got worse, she let the fear stop her from finding real love, and she turned all of that anger and hurt into rage against you."

Olivia sniffled. "How come I'm not like her, El?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked toward her mother.

"Because you were young enough, and smart enough, to know that it wasn't right. You knew that there was more for you out there, and you focused all that negative into something positive. Something amazing. Instead of letting in consume you, you fought it, and you became the solution to your own problem."

"Were you a psychology major in college?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Baby, I just know you, and I know how you work," he told her, kissing her head again.

There was a light knock on the door, and as it opened, and Elliot saw a bare glimpse of who was entering the room, he pulled away from Olivia and sat up straighter. "Hey, Cap," he said, nodding once.

Cragen gave them both sad smiles. "How is she?" he asked, closing the door.

Olivia cleared her throat. "Okay," she said. "Alive."

"Olivia," Cragen said sadly, "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Better than her," she spat, the rage building again, on top of the hurt and years of repressed feelings were building. She was holding it all in, hiding it, shutting it off.

Cragen stepped over to her, put a hand on her shoulder, and said, "If you need to take a few days…"

"No," she interrupted firmly. "I'm fine." She looked up at him and asked, "What happened with the case? Anything?"

Cragen was stunned by her bluntness, but said, "Yeah. Fin and Munch are questioning in a suspect right now."

"What? Already?" Elliot asked, tilting his head. "I thought we were fast," he said with a laugh.

"Warner got more than she thought she would," Cragen said, scratching his head. "Bite marks and handprints. Clear ones."

Olivia looked at him. "So we got the guy," she said. "Definitely?"

Cragen nodded. "His reason, though, uh, is a little disturbing. He said he killed her for you, Olivia."

Olivia's eyes widened. "What?" she asked, shocked.

"He said he was getting her out of the way," Cragen said, folding his arms. "Said you needed her to stop harassing Elliot, and he knew this was the only way she would…"

"Woah," Elliot said. "Liv never told anyone to kill…"

"I know she didn't," Cragen interrupted. "He said she doesn't even know him. He's just been watching her for a while, helping her out when he can, because he owes it to her."

"Owes it to me?" Olivia asked, her brow furrowed. "Captain, who the hell…"

"He says you saved his sister's life once," Cragen said. "She was a different person after her rape, and seemed to suddenly liven up again after her rapist got lucked up, and he has been looking for a way to thank you."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Olivia said, slumping back into her chair.

"No one is blaming you," Cragen assured. "Huang is evaluating him tonight, and according to Fin, he's confessing to other things, too. So far, three murders and a rape. All of which he committed in acts of revenge or repayment. It's not your…"

The man was silenced when Olivia's mother let out a soft moan. Heads snapped toward the bed, and they all held their breath. Olivia leaned closer to the bed and whispered, "Mom?"

"Livia," her mother, Serena, mumbled as her head lolled to the side.

Olivia gasped, hearing her mother use a name she hadn't used since she was a little girl. "Yeah, Mom," she said.

Serena's eyes fluttered a bit, as if they would open, but they didn't. There was silence again. "Well," Olivia sighed, "At least she knows I'm here."

"We're here," Elliot said, correcting and reassuring.

Cragen cleared his throat, wishing he wouldn't read too much into that. "I'll go," he said. "Duty calls, and what not, but I just want you to know if you need anything…"

"Thank you," Olivia interrupted, turning to face him. "But I've got Elliot."

Cragen nodded, suspecting she really did have him now. He turned, walked out, and looked back through the panel of glass on the door. He sucked in a breath as he watched Elliot pull Olivia back into his arms and kiss her. A real kiss. He blinked as he watched the loving embrace, seeing the way they looked at each other. "Damn it," he said, "I knew it." He stormed down the hallway, heading for the elevator, thinking about how new all of this was, and how it wasn't new at all.

If Serena hadn't been in that accident, he thought, he wouldn't have seen anything, known anything.

Serena had just changed everything.

And it was now up to Cragen to change it back.

**A/N: What will Cragen do? When Serena wakes up, she says something surprising to Olivia, and then makes another terrible mistake. But what is it? More time with the kids, and some time alone. Next. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: A day with each other, a night with the kids, and Dickie realizes something new.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler© **

"Hey," Elliot said softly, walking into the kitchen.

"Morning," Olivia said with a sigh. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep herself together. "I'm sorry if I kept you up all night," she muttered, looking at him. "I just…I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to bother you by getting up, El."

Elliot brushed her hair back and kissed her softly. "I would have been awake if you weren't in the bed with me anyway, so holding you while you kept us both up didn't bother me," he told her. "I can call Cragen, we don't have to go…"

"Yeah, we do," Olivia returned, handing him a mug of fresh coffee. "Working will keep my mind off of it. I can't let her get to me, El. Not again. Not because of this."

Elliot nodded in understanding and pressed his lips gently to hers. "I'm right here, ya know. I can keep your mind off of it, too." He winked and smirked, seeing her smile back at him.

"We have a case, El," she said, shaking her head. "We can't just…"

"I know," he said, interrupting. "But it was a nice thought. You and me, here all day, kids at school, no one around to hear you scream."

She chuckled. "That sounds more like a bad horror movie than a day playing hookie," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," Elliot said, leaning closer with narrow eyes. "It would definitely be rated R. Maybe even X depending on how crazy I could get you to be," he teased, sucking her earlobe into his mouth.

She moaned and dropped her head back, turning into his touch. "Need…to stop," she groaned, feeling Elliot's hands sliding into her black pants.

"Why?" Elliot asked, rubbing her through her silk panties, feeling the wet spot form where his fingers were playing. He rubbed her a bit harder, sliding the silk to the side and slipping his fingers up and through her wetness. He backed her into the counter, kissing her as his hand worked her over, his fingers pushing in and up and twisting around.

"God, El," she whispered on a moan. "Baby, you need to...oh, God, you need to stop before..."

"Before what, baby?" Elliot asked softly, circling his thumb over her clit and kissing her, feeling her tense and release at his touch.

The footsteps down the stairs were his answer, and he ripped his hand out of her slacks, clearing his throat as he turned in time to face his children. "Hey, guys!" he cheered, sipping his coffee. He gave Olivia a sideways glance and a wink, and walked over to the counter. "You ready for school?" he asked.

Dickie grumbled as he grabbed a bagel. "Stupid math test," he garbled through a bite of the bread.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "He has to be bitter about it, because he was up all night playing that video game instead of studying."

Kathleen looked up and said, "I've got an English test today, and thanks to Liv, I'm getting an A. I know I am."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "She help you study?" he asked, stealing his son's bagel and taking a bite.

Kathleen shook her head as she watched her bother smack her dad in the shoulder and steal his bagel back. "No," she said, "She's the reason I read the book. I didn't wanna read it, then she told me about it, she made it sound so amazing, so I read it. Twice."

"What book?" Elliot asked, looking back at Olivia.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," Kathleen said with a mouth full of cereal. "I was reading it, and I couldn't help comparing Liv to Scout."

Maureen scoffed. "You think Olivia's a child who has an infatuation with the creepy guy down the street?"

"No, dolt," Kathleen said. "I think she's brilliant, and funny, and she grew up without a mom. I mean, she had one, but not a real one, and…"

"Guys," Elliot said, stopping Kathleen, "Don't talk about Liv's mom, huh?" He eyes them carefully as he sipped his coffee, and they understood.

Maureen grabbed an apple and kissed her father on the cheek, then moved to do the same to Olivia. "You'll be home in time for Dickie's game, right?" she asked, tilting her head.

"It's the last one of the season!" Dickie yelled, chewing.

"Don't talk with your mouthful," Olivia scolded. "And of course," she added, "We wouldn't miss it."

"Sorry," Dickie said after he swallowed. He gave his dad and Olivia hugs and followed Maureen out of the house. Kathleen and Lizzie were next , kissing their father and the woman they thought of as their mother, and left.

"They love you," Elliot said, sighing. He sipped his coffee, and didn't have to turn around to know that the woman behind him was smiling.

The day was long, frantic. They worked through a tough case, stopping in Olivia's mother's room to see her after they took the victim's statement. They ran the rape kit to the lab, beat the confession out of their perp, got into a horrible fight over white-out, and made up in a storage closet.

They managed to rush through all of the day's paperwork, leaving only twenty minutes to get to the baseball field to see Dickie's game. They sped, violating traffic laws with the dashboard light flashing. They parked in a no parking zone, leaving the vinyl badge in the window and light flashing, and ran through the gates, flashing their badges.

Dickie was up at bat, saw them shuffle through the bleachers and sit next to his sisters, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at the pitcher, determination in his eyes, and tapped the tips of his toes with his bat. He raised it over his shoulder and squatted, preparing to hit his father and mother a home run. Then he stood up straight, without thinking, as the ball whizzed past him.

"Strike one," the umpire yelled.

Dickie looked back at his father and Olivia and realized he had just, in his mind, called her his mother. He smiled to himself, feeling a surge of warm happiness run through him. He squatted again, raised the bat, and nodded at the pitcher. The ball moved toward him and he swung the bat, hearing the crack of the wood against the tightly wound, leather covered ball of string. He threw his bat down, threw off his helmet, and ran as fast as his nine-year-old legs would carry him.

Elliot stood up in the stands as his kid rounded second, and when he stepped on third, Olivia and the girls joined him. They were cheering and yelling for him to run faster as the ball flew from one person to the next, the defense trying to get him out before he hit home plate.

Dickie heard their voices, through all of the other noise. He could hear them loud and clear. His dad and Olivia calling his name, calling him "son" and "kiddo" made him run even though it hurt to breathe. He hopped and then leapt through the air, hitting the ground hard and sliding into home base just as the catcher on the other team did the same.

Elliot held his breath. He looked at Olivia, and then back to the umpire. "Come on," he mumbled.

The umpire looked down, and then made a swiping motion with his arms as he yelled, "Safe!"

Dickie leaped up, despite his jammed ankle and swelling elbow and he jumped up and down as he looked into the bleachers. He saw his father with his arms around Olivia, smiling and cheering. He saw his sisters clapping for him, and he knew at that moment that this was what family felt like. For some reason, he knew it was something he'd always had, but it was something new, too. Something he loved very much.

As he walked back to his spot in the bullpen, he noticed someone familiar in the stands, a few people to the left of his family. He squinted, trying to remember who it was, and when he saw the look the man was giving his father, who was too busy kissing Olivia to notice, he realized it. "Oh, no," he said, sinking into the metal bench.

He ignored the pats on the back and cheering from his teammates, choosing to focus on his father's boss, who looked like he was ready to tear his new family apart.

Cragen wasn't angry though. He was hurt. He'd seen this coming, but was hoping it would be avoided. The fact that they were together wasn't bothering him, but the fact that they were lying to him about it did. He followed them out of the precinct, wondering where they were so eager to get too so fast. He kept up with them on the road, and he parked across the street when he watched them running into the baseball field. He was relived, thinking perhaps something had been wrong, and now he felt as if he was intruding on a personal moment, encroaching on their family.

He got up, shaking his head, and stepped over a few people to get out of his seat. He wasn't going to talk to them here, in front of the kids. He would wait until they got to work in the morning, he would hand them their assignment, casually slipping the fact that he knew into their conversation, and he would give them one last chance to fix things before they couldn't be fixed.

Before he had to fix it all by himself, in his own way, which would destroy everything he knew they just built.

**A/N: How will Elliot and Olivia react to the new that Cragen knows? Olivia's mother's condition takes a turn, but is it for the better or the worst? And the kids, with a big push from Dickie, surprise Olivia when they get home from work. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: How will Elliot and Olivia react to the new that Cragen knows? Olivia's mother's condition takes a turn, but is it for the better or the worst? And the kids, with a big push from Dickie, surprise Olivia when they get home.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler© **

"You lied to him," Olivia said, following Elliot into the elevator.

"What was I supposed to do?" Elliot asked, sounding annoyed. "He gave us the address and told us not to fuck in the car on the way there! He is officially..."

"He didn't say it like that," Olivia cut in, sounding snippy. She folded her arms and shook her head. "He knows."

Elliot scoffed. "He can't do anything until we officially tell him, so as long as we keep lying to him, nothing..."

"He told us that he knew, El," Olivia said, interrupting him again. "And you flat out told him that nothing was going on with us." She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "How the hell does he know? We don't act like a couple at work. We're still at each others throats one minute and laughing the next, no kissing or touching involved."

"I dunno," he replied, stepping off the elevator as it dropped. They were in the lobby, halfway out the main doors, when Olivia's phone rang.

She looked at Elliot as she answered it with a harsh, "Benson." She grabbed Elliot's arm, stopping his movements, and said into the phone, "What? When? Yes, I would have liked to...no, I will be right there. Don't do that, she hates...she doesn't?"

Elliot watched as Olivia's face went pale and she blinked. "Liv?" he whispered with screwed up eyebrows. "Baby, what is it?" he asked, turning and putting one hand on either of her hips, looking into her suddenly watery eyes.

"Thank you," Olivia said, ending the call. "You have to drop me off at the hospital," she whispered, her throat now dry and strained.

"Honey, what happened?" he asked, searching her eyes and cupping her face.

"She's awake," she said softly, "But she has no idea who she is. I have to go down there. The doctor thinks I'll jog her memory."

"Then we'll go," he said, taking her hand. He had almost pulled her through the door when a voice from behind them said, "I'll take her. You have a case to run."

They turned and saw Cragen, standing with Fin. "Cap?" Olivia questioned. "How did you..."

"They called your extension first, thinking you were in the squadroom," Cragen said. He gestured to Fin and said, "Detective Tutuola is here full time now, with Cassidy locked up," he said. "Take him with you. I'll take Olivia to the..."

"Cap, I really think Fin should take this by himself," Elliot protested. "I gotta go with..."

"You have a job to do, Stabler," Cragen said, stopping his words. "Do it."

Olivia looked at Cragen as if he'd just killed her puppy. "Cap, I can't do this without..."

"Olivia, it's not like he'd be allowed in the room," Cragen said, walking over toward her. "They only let family in when the patient's awake."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "What? No, they..."

"We should get there," Cragen hissed, nodding once at her before ushering her out the door and away from Elliot.

They looked at each other, shocked, but could do nothing but let what was happening happen. Olivia got into Cragen's car, while Elliot and Fin took the case. Neither one would concentrate on anything, not completely, not without the other.

* * *

Olivia was the first one home, having been dropped off by Cragen, to whom she was giving the cold shoulder. She dropped her keys onto the coffee table, hung up her jacket, and turned at the sound of Dickie's voice.

"Hey, Liv," the boy said.

"Hi, sweetie," Olivia returned, scruffing up his hair. "How was school?"

"Okay," the boy shrugged.

She put an arm around him and led him over to the couch, sitting with him. "How's your ankle?" she asked.

"Doesn't even hurt," he said. "Why were you crying?" he asked, tilting his head.

She looked at him, confused, and she chuckled. "I wasn't," she said. "Why do you..."

"Your collar's still wet," he said, pointing. "Your eyes are dry, which means they've recently shed all their moisture, in the form of tears. And they're red. Also, your nose is red, and it's not that cold outside."

"Man," Olivia said, looking up and shaking her head, "You are your father's son."

Dickie nodded. "I know," he said proudly. "So, why were you crying?" he asked again.

She sighed and tried to smile. "You know my mom was in an accident, right?" she asked, not hearing the door behind her open.

Dickie nodded, ignoring his father walking in, knowing if he said something Olivia would stop talking.

"Well, she woke up today," she said, she looked away from him for a moment and forgot she was talking to Dickie. She said what she would have said to Elliot. "She couldn't remember who or where she was, so I went down there...and she took one look at me...and she started screaming." She took a shaky breath and said, "I brought back memories, like the doctor said I would. But it was just...all the bad ones." She brushed the boy's hair back and said, "She started yelling at me, told me she didn't want to see me anymore, so...I left."

Dickie looked at her for a minute, then wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. "I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered. "I don't understand how anyone couldn't want you."

Elliot dropped the bag of food. His eyes widened and he took another slow step.

Olivia turned, hearing the noise, and said, "Hey," softly. "How long have you been..."

Elliot interrupted her. "He called you..."

"What?" Olivia asked, looking back at Dickie. She hadn't heard him. She was too lost in the gentle and loving hug he was giving her.

"I...I didn't think you'd mind," Dickie said, suddenly scared.

"None of us thought you would," Kathleen said, appearing in the room from the kitchen. "We, uh, we baked you a cake."

"It was Dickie's idea, Dad, so if Liv runs away, it's his fault," Maureen declared, stepping beside Kathleen with the cake on a platter.

Elliot walked around from the back of the couch and over to his kids. "Why would she run away from cake?" he asked, folding his arms.

Lizzie walked in, pushed her glasses up higher on her nose, and said, "We were talking, and we wanted to know if...because I do it sometimes, and they...we all kind of want to...we wanna know if..."

Elliot looked at the cake, silencing his daughter by putting a hand on her shoulder. "Liv, baby, look at this."

Olivia got up, sending Dickie another soft glance, and she walked over to Elliot. She gasped when she saw the cake. The writing was sloppy, but it was clearly readable. "We love you, Mom," she whispered, then she looked up at the kids, taking time to stare into the eyes of each child.

"We wanna know if you'd...if it would upset you or Dad if we started calling you Mom," Kathleen said, explaining what Lizzie couldn't.

Elliot looked at Olivia, whose dry eyes weren't so dry anymore. "Hey, Mo, honey, go put the cake on the table. And can you guys get the food? It's, uh, over there on the floor somewhere," he told them.

Olivia was soundless as she looked at Elliot. She leaned into him, dropping her head to his shoulder, and whispered, "They want me to...they want to..."

"Yeah," Elliot whispered back, his hands running up and down her shoulders and spine. "They do. I don't mind," he said. "If you..."

"It's so strange," she said with a sniffle, "How I could love them the way I do, and they're not even mine, and my mother..."

Elliot raised a finger and pressed it to her lips. "She's not the reason you are who you are. Everyone who's hurt you, Liv, your mom, the man who raped her, Cassidy, Kim, Kathy, they're all in the past now. Baby, you are who you are because you survived it all, and you have a bigger heart and stronger mind than..."

She stopped him this time, with a kiss. She pulled away slowly, blinking away the tears, and she sighed. "I needed you there," she said, her head dropping to his. "When she called me a monster, El, I needed you there to tell me I wasn't. I needed to hear you say the right things, and calm me down, because I..." she paused, swallowing. "I didn't say a single word to Cragen the whole time. He kept talking to me, I ignored him. God, El, how could he..."

"Shh," he whispered, nuzzling her nose with his. "I got you now, and I'm never letting Cragen do that again. I stopped in Tucker's office on the way home."

She snapped her head and her eyes widened. "What? What did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything," Elliot defended. "I just asked him a few questions." He pulled Olivia by the hand into the kitchen, where the kids were fixing plates of Chinese food. "Baby, Cragen's been lying to us for the last two years."

"He's not our boss?" she asked with a hopeful face.

He chuckled. "No, he is, baby, he just...remember when you came to work, that first day, and he had us in his office blathering about fraternization and how we weren't allowed to date or, uh..."

"Yeah, I remember," she said. "You really do censor yourself around your kids," she whispered, chuckling.

He laughed and nodded, then said, "I asked Tucker, hypothetically, that if two partners started dating, what would happen. He said nothing, Liv. There's no law, no policy, no nothing that says we can't date, or get married, or anything."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes surprised but her face still stoic. "So we've been lying to him for nothing. He can't really do anything about this, not legally."

"That's what Tucker said," he told her with a smile. "He did tell me if we were going to take those steps, ya know, marriage and what not, we had to notify them, because of insurance and some technical..."

"Are you two gonna stop talking and eat?" Kathleen asked, folding her arms.

Olivia smiled. "Yeah, honey, we are." She grabbed a plate and handed another to Elliot. They were fixing their dishes when they heard Dickie shout from across the room.

"Hey, Mom!" the boy yelled.

Olivia looked at him, her eyes wide. "What?" she asked, a small surge of panic in her voice.

Dickie laughed and shook his head. "Just checking," he said with a shrug.

Olivia chuckled, then grabbed her dish and let Elliot pull her, by the hand, over to the table. She looked around at the happy faces and then she glanced at Elliot, engrossed in conversation with Maureen and Lizzie. She smiled, feeling, for the first time, that she wasn't incapable of loving and being loved, and that she wasn't going to make her husband and kids miserable. She had a family of her own now, almost, and she loved them with everything she had, and they'd just told her how much they loved her. She knew she was proving her mother wrong, and it felt so right.

She also knew that just as Cragen had told them he knew their secret, she would tell him she knew his. And she knew exactly how to do it.

**A/N: What does she do? And something new happens between Olivia and Elliot, scary and exciting, all at once. But what is it? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: What does she do? And something new happens between Olivia and Elliot, scary and exciting, all at once. But what is it? (forgive the lack of updates. I had a problem with the site Friday and Saturday. Seems to be all good now ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

"All right," Casey said, eying Olivia across the table. "Fin told me you said something to Cragen and the man almost passed out," she said, moving the paper umbrella aside and sipping her drink. "I'd like to know what it was."

Elliot chuckled, sipping his beer. "Great story," he said, shaking his head and smirking.

Fin, next to Casey, laughed, too. "I've never seen Cragen look like that before. Like he didn't know whether to yell at you or cry."

"What happened?" Casey cried impatiently.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "It wasn't that big of a deal. We were talking about the case, and we found out that the vic was sleeping with her partner at the law firm. Munch commented that if it was gonna end like that, he was happy it was against policy to date your partner in the NYPD. He would never have to watch Elliot kill me," she said with a small laugh.

"Munch has a lot of theories, and they're all crazy," Fin explained to Casey.

Casey nodded, then turned back to Olivia. "Okay, and? What happened?" she asked, excited.

"I said it wasn't true," Olivia shrugged.

Elliot chuckled. "Her exact words were, 'Technically, there are no laws, no rules that state it's really forbidden. In fact, I'm pretty sure Vega in Homicide married his partner and Tucker bought them a dining room set."

"Cragen let out this sound...like a dyin' cat, and looked at her with these wide eyes," Fin said with a grin. "It was fuckin' funny."

Casey, Fin, Elliot and Olivia shared a chuckle as a woman in a short tee shirt came to bring them new drinks. Olivia saw the woman look at Elliot and smirk, she saw her eyes narrow. She felt something odd, something different, and her hand moved over Elliot's.

He looked at her, smiled, and leaned in to kiss her, oblivious to the jealousy coursing through her veins. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, smirking as the waitress rolled her eyes and stormed away. She pulled away from him and took a sip of her new drink, then started gagging. "Holy shit, that's not what I ordered," she said, trying to get the horrible, burning feeling out of her mouth.

Elliot narrowed his eyes as he looked around for the waitress, and he picked up her drink. "Be right back," he said, getting out of his chair.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia nodded. She cleared her throat and looked up at Fin and Casey, raising both eyebrows. "Oh, yeah, that was...um...we..."

"Benson," Casey interrupted, "We know. And we're not gonna say anything, You can relax. It's not like this wasn't expected. I mean, you two have making eyes at each other since the day you met."

Olivia laughed, then turned her head to look for Elliot. She narrowed her eyes when she saw him, annoyed and probably yelling at the waitress, who was giving him her best seductive smile. When the woman ran her fingers up Elliot's arm, that's when she got up. She hated the feeling, hated what was happening to her, she'd never been jealous before. It was new and scary, but it meant she really loved him, didn't it?

* * *

"Stop touching me," Elliot hissed to the girl, "And fix my girlfriend's drink."

The waitress threw her head back and laughed. "I think you can give me better incentive that that," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly and moving closer. "Ya know, no man has ever been able to resist me before. You'll cave, and I'll get what I want," she whispered.

"I doubt that, unless what you want is a criminal record," he told her. "You're sexually harassing an officer."

Olivia stepped up behind him, then, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What's the problem?" she asked, kissing his neck.

Elliot, taken by surprise, moaned lightly. "No problem," he said softly, unconsciously tilting his head for her.

Olivia smirked, kissing and biting the length of his neck. "What's taking so long?" she asked, sliding her hands down his body, running them up his thighs. "You were gone for a while," she said, nibbling his ear. "I missed you," she purred, scratching her nails over his inner thigh, coming perilously close to his growing erection.

"Girl," he groaned, pointing to the waitress, "Hit on me." He grabbed her hands, and turned around. "But you knew that," he said with a smirk, knowing exactly what was going through her mind.

She smirked back. "I also know you didn't take her up on her offer," she said softly. "Doesn't mean I'm not still pissed off."

He kissed her, ran his hands through her hair and over her back. "I think she's more threatened by you than you think," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye as the waitress got a glimpse of Olivia's badge and gun and she paled.

"Good," Olivia said, smirking. "She should be," she said with narrow eyes as she pulled him back to her for another kiss.

With a loud grunt, the waitress walked away to get the bartender to make Olivia's drink the way she wanted it. She knew when she was beaten.

Elliot, even though the waitress was gone, deepened the kiss and moved Olivia back, pressing her up against the bar. "You drive me crazy," he mumbled. "You were jealous, and you knew that the minute you touched me I'd..."

"Yeah," Olivia interrupted, lacing her fingers through his short hair and kissing him, shutting him up.

* * *

"Will you look at them?" Casey chuckled, slapping Fin in the shoulder.

"It's hard not to," Fin said with a laugh. "They are, uh, impossible to miss and it's hard to not watch 'em. They're...hot."

Casey laughed. "So, why aren't you dating anyone?" she asked, turning away from Olivia and Elliot to look at him.

Fin shrugged. "Same reason Benson never did. This job, ya know, it's hard for people to deal with. Hard for people to understand. Crazy hours and..."

"I could deal with it," Casey interrupted.

Fin looked at her and smiled. "I know you could," he said, sipping his beer. They laughed, chatted, and waited for Olivia and Elliot to separate themselves and come back to the table.

"Hey," Casey said, looking around. "Where did they go?"

* * *

Elliot grunted, trying to get his pants down with one hand as he struggled to get hers off with the other. The very small bathroom stall was hindering most of their movements, and their rushed and frantic speed was only making it a more clumsy experience.

"Can't believe," Olivia panted between kissed, "We're doing this."

"Can't wait," Elliot told her, finally hearing her pants drop. He hooked his arms around the backs of her legs and pulled her up, slamming her into the metal wall. He crashed his lips onto hers and impaled her with one thrust, making sure she knew exactly what this was.

No romance, no gentleness, just passion and impatient need, desire and heat. She threw her head back and pressed her lips together as he slammed into her, knowing that it was her jealousy that got him worked up to begin with. She smirked, realizing that she was only getting what she deserved. What she asked for.

"Ah, fuck, baby," he seethed, hiking her up higher around his waist. He attached his lips to her neck as he moved faster and harder. "Mine," he growled.

Her head snapped up and she nodded, still biting her bottom lip tightly.

"Say it," he grunted, running one hand between them and searching blindly for her clit. "Tell me, baby," he demanded, swiping his thumb over the nub he'd found.

She moaned loudly and her mouth fell open. "Oh, God," she groaned. "Yours," she whispered. "I'm yours."

"Damn right," he hissed with a small chuckle. He pounded into her harder, moved his thumb faster, and said, "I'm yours. Nothing to be jealous of, baby. Never gonna..."

"I know," she moaned, her fingers sinking into his shoulders. "Oh, God, El, I know."

He grunted with each thrust of his hips, pinched and rolled her clit between his fingers before flicking his thumb over it vigorously, and slammed his mouth over hers as she screamed. He moaned loudly into the kiss as well, slowing his thrusts as he shot inside of her, feeling her clench tightly around him.

Gasping, kissing, and sliding down to a standing, upright, position, they laughed. Usually never one for public liaisons, they'd just broken every one of their rules, as well as a few health codes. "See what you do to me when you get jealous and possessive?" he said to her, kissing her. "You make me possessive and then I can't control myself," he chuckled with another kiss.

"You should make me jealous more often," she joked.

Elliot shook his head, looking deeply into her eyes. "No, baby," he said. "You're mine, just mine. I'm yours, that's it. No need to intentionally make you jealous anyway, since you get there just fine on your own." He kissed her and chuckled, pulling up her pants for her.

Olivia sighed and smiled as Elliot zipped her pants up. She kissed him softly. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too, baby," he replied. "We, uh, should probably get back out there to Fin and Casey," he said, tilting his head.

"And that waitress," she said with a hint of irritation.

Elliot laughed. "Oh, Liv, I think she's gonna stay far away from you and me for the rest of the night after our little display out there."

They laughed and walked out of the bathroom, trying to appear as natural as possible.

"Where the hell were you?" Fin asked, tossing money onto the table. "We just got a call, both your phones were on the table. We gotta go," he said quickly.

"What?" Olivia asked, grabbing her phone and her jacket.

Fin nodded, looking at her and Elliot. "Our vic's partner just turned up dead," he said, his eyes closing. "He was left in front of the station, with a note pinned to his jacket. He was, apparently, a present for you, Stabler."

Elliot's eyes widened, then narrowed. He grabbed his phone, rested his hand on the small of Olivia's back, and led her out of the bar and into trouble.

**A/N: What now? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: A present for Elliot? From whom?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Damn it," Elliot hissed, kneeling over the body of the man on the pavement.

"You knew him," Olivia said, kneeling right beside him.

He nodded, biting his lip. "He was an A. D. A, once. Used to work sex crimes, until he got greedy. Went private with Henshall and Langan a few years back, haven't heard from him since." He looked up at Sergeant Tucker, standing behind him, and asked, "Do I even wanna know why this is an SVU case?"

Tucker took a swig of liquid antacid and shook his head. "It just is," he said, swallowing with a sour face. "Listen, I don't know what shit you stepped in, but this sick fuck is sending you a message, Stabler. He's obviously going after…"

"Partners," Elliot finished. "But they weren't cops, Tucker, why are you…"

Tucker narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "Partners, in the field, who are sleeping together. You and Benson are obviously next on his list," he hissed. "I warned you when you asked me about his if I thought you'd be risking…"

"I told you I know what I'm doing, Ed," Elliot spat back.

Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, well, now it's more than just your jobs you're risking, isn't it?" he asked harshly. "Is she worth it? You really think you two can handle this?"

"I know we can," Elliot said, his eyes narrowing to match Tucker's. "Nothing's gonna happen to her. I'm not as careless as Hank was," he said, looking back down at the dead man. "And I'm not just sleeping with her," he said, quiet.

"Right," Tucker scoffed. "You and I both know nothing with her is ever gonna be serious." He glanced at Olivia for a moment. "She's hot, she's probably great in the sack, but that's all she's ever gonna be, man. She's your partner, an easy piece of ass, and you're a lucky son of a bitch, but it's not gonna be anything more than that. Your perp knows it."

Elliot rolled his neck and let the veins pop in his neck. He couldn't punch his Sergeant, no matter how much he wanted to. He just couldn't. "I'm telling you, Tucker, this is more than that," he said. "Don't believe me, I don't care, but I never let her out of my sight, not for a second. This hump isn't gonna have a chance to get her."

"You don't even know who it is," Tucker said, turning back to him. "Someone got close enough to other cops and two lawyers, Stabler. Someone who knew you, and knows you're fucking Benson, and knew exactly where the security cameras were. He stayed just out of the shot when he plopped hank on the steps, so you tell me if you can actually control who gets close to her."

"No one is gonna hurt her," Elliot said, the seriousness in his voice sending a chill down Tucker's spine.

The man blinked once, and backed up a step, bringing the pink bottle of chalky liquid back to his lips. "You're serious," he said, swigging. "You really are serious. This thing with her…it's…"

"I'm not just fucking her, Ed," Elliot interrupted with a shake of his head. "I never was. I never will be."

Olivia saved Tucker from continuing the conversation, walking over to the boys and pulling off her latex glove. "El," she called as she walked.

Elliot turned, looking at her. "What'd ya get?" he asked.

"Melinda pulled this out of our vic's hand," she said, holding up a small plastic bag. "He must have clutched onto it, trying to defend himself. I think we're looking for a woman."

Elliot took the bag, holding it up to the light from the streetlamp. "Oh, Jesus," he said, blinking. "A woman, with knowledge of and access to the legal system, who is pissed off at partners who are sleeping together." He handed the bag back to Olivia and said, "Whose name apparently starts with the letter J."

Tucker scoffed, and then took another gulp of his pink antacid. "Yeah, who also has a deep-seeded fetish for sexual assault and mutilation. She knew exactly how to…" he grimaced again, then chugged the rest of the bottle.

Elliot squinted then.

"I know that look," Olivia said, smirking. "What is it?" she asked. "What are you thinking?"

"Someone who would know the ins and outs of sex crimes, homicide, and be able to get into and out of both the courthouse and the station without being noticed," Elliot mused to himself. He pulled the bag out of Olivia's hand again, shook his head, and said, "Jo."

"What?" Olivia asked, tilting her head.

Elliot looked up at Tucker. "Jo," he repeated, handing him the bag.

Tucker furrowed his brow, took the bag, and looked down at the diamond encrusted "J" staring up at him. He blinked and he felt even sicker than he had before. "Shit," he said. "I thought…I didn't think…oh, shit." He looked at his watch, then looked around. "You need to get out of here, Elliot. She's…"

Elliot held up his hand, stopping him. He looked back at Olivia, reached for her hand, and said, "I'm taking you home."

She took his hand, trusting him, and although she was confused she let him lead her away from the station.

"I'll keep you posted," Tucker shouted at them, watching them walk toward their car. He looked at the pendant and the empty bottle in his hands. "Fin!" he yelled. "Send someone to get more Pepto!"

* * *

"That's not fair!" Dickie yelled, looking annoyed at his sister. "You can't move in that direction! You can only move in an L-shape, Lizzie! It's a knight!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "I swear, you pick now to pay attention," she grumbled, moving her chess piece back two spaces. "If you paid attention like this in your classes you'd be getting higher grades."

Elliot chuckled, sipping his coffee as he watched his young twins playing chess at the kitchen table. He walked out of the kitchen, sighing, and sat beside Olivia, who was on the couch reading a book.

"They should be in bed, it's late," she said, not looking at him.

"It's Friday," he said with a shrug. "They're allowed to stay up later on…whoa, okay, I didn't realize it was that late," he said, after looking at the clock on the cable box. "Lizzie! Dickie! Upstairs! Now!"

"But Dad!" Dickie yelled, "I'm kicking her butt!"

Elliot held in a laugh and said, "It's almost one in the morning! You know you have to be in bed by midnight. Just because we weren't home, doesn't mean…"

"We're kids," Lizzie shrugged, passing him as she walked up the stairs. "Ya can't blame us for trying." She kissed him on the cheek and yelled, "Night, Mom!"

"Goodnight, honey," Olivia laughed, shaking her head.

Dickie ran over and kissed her on the cheek, gave her a hug, and said, "Goodnight, Mom. I love you."

Olivia melted. She wasn't used to being this loved, and she was surprised at how easy it was to fall into the role of mother and fit into the family the way she did. "I love you, too, sweetheart," she said, kissing the top of the boys head. "Goodnight."

Dickie hugged his dad, giving him a rushed, "Love you, too, Pop," and ran up the stairs.

Elliot smiled and shook his head. "Kids," he mused, laughing. He made his way back to the couch, sat, and picked up his coffee. "So, Mom, up until those last few hours it was a pretty easy night."

"Cragen sent us home because we had nothing to do, we hung out with Fin and Casey…who have a date on Wednesday, by the way, and…"

"We proved just how flexible you are," he joked, smirking at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I think I left my spine in that bathroom," she chuckled. "And then our night goes to hell with that phone call. I can't believe…"

"I know," he sighed. "In the car, you, uh, you asked who Jo was."

She nodded. "You didn't tell me," she said. "I'm guessing it's someone you think did this."

He sipped his coffee and said, "Before you, before Frank, there was Jo. Jo Marlowe. She was my partner." He looked at her, seeing the expression on her face. "Don't give me that look, baby, it wasn't like that. At this point I was still madly in love with Kathy. That's what drove Jo crazy. She kept trying to convince me to 'live a little' and do things that…she always used to say 'what Kathy doesn't know won't hurt her," he explained.

"Oh, my God," she said, her eyes closing, feeling a little sick. "El, don't tell me, you…"

"Absolutely not, honey," he said, grabbing her hand. "That's the point. I thought she meant, like, get drunk with the guys, gamble, get more tattoos she'd never see. So I did."

"That explains the four-leaf-clover," she said with a smirk. "How'd Kathy miss that?"

He just smirked. "She never looked that hard," he told her. "Anyway, it wasn't until Jo flat out tried to seduce me during a stakeout that I realized she was trying to get me in bed the whole time." He looked into her eyes and said, "It never happened. I told her I was happily married, very much in love with my wife, and I just wasn't attracted to her. She was gone the next day."

She dropped her head to his shoulder, sighed, and asked, "Why do you think she would do something like…"

"It fits," he interrupted. "She left the unit because she couldn't sleep with her partner, and she's pissed that these other people are getting away with it. And I'm doing it now. Then she had an affair with Ed, she ended it because he wouldn't leave his wife for her, just like I wouldn't. She went back to school, became a lawyer. She works in the DA's office now, and suddenly two lawyers turn up dead, both sexually abused…which she would know all about from being in the unit…Ed linked the case with two others, both cases were couples, partners, having affairs, where the man was still married." He shrugged. "Then you handed me that necklace, it's the letter J, for crying out loud. It has to be her."

"Or someone who would know you would think it's her," she said easily. Still snuggling close to him.

He waited a moment, letting her words sink in. "What did you just say?" he asked, needing clarification.

"I'm just giving us options, El," she said, looking up at him. "It could be her, but it could be someone who would know that you would think…"

"What did that note say?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

She thought for a moment. "Uh, something about…keep it up and you'll be next. This is what happens when you break the rules."

He shook his head. "No, baby, not the rules." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed quickly, looking at her. "My rules."

She raised her eyebrows. "Someone's framing Jo…"

"Because she ruined his life, and we're about to do the same damned thing," he said. "Fin!" he yelled when the man picked up the phone. "Did you find Jo? No. Hold her, but I need you to check out someone else." He took a breath, glanced at Olivia, then said, "Tucker."

**A/N: A good, fluffy, smutty, domestic chapter is next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: An evening as a family, when old memories are rehashed, and new ones are made.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

Olivia was staring at a framed photo on the wall, the one of her sleeping on the couch, surrounded by the kids. She was smiling, lost in thought, she jumped when two strong arms wrapped around her.

"Easy," he whispered. "It's just me."

She sighed and leaned back into his arms. "You're still acting like you're five years old," she chided, rolling her eyes. "You know I hate when you sneak up on me."

"The look on your face when you realize it's me is worth it," he told her. He kissed the end of her nose and said, "I'm just lucky you don't have your gun on you."

She laughed. "Kids pick a movie?"

"Yup," he replied. "Ya know that vampire werewolf thing they make you watch constantly?"

"Oh, no," she whined.

He laughed again. "It's okay, it's part two so you won't be as bored."

"Don't count on that," she said, turning fully into his arms.

"You really love that picture, don't you?" he asked, nodding at the frame before looking deeply into her eyes.

She looked back at him and nodded. "The only thing that would make it perfect is if you were…"

"Hey!" Maureen yelled. "Can we get a move on? Some of us have a bedtime, ya know!"

They laughed and shared a soft kiss. "I know," he told her. He kept her in his arms as he walked with her toward the couch, and his cell phone rang before he could sit beside her. He eyed her worriedly, then pulled the phone out of his pocket. "Stabler," he said, walking into the bedroom.

Olivia sighed, watching him leave, and she picked up the remote control. She felt Lizzie snuggling into her, she laughed as she pushed play and kissed the nine-year-old's forehead, and waited for Elliot to return, having a funny feeling she wouldn't like what that phone call meant.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Elliot returned, shoving himself between Dickie and Olivia. "get off of her," he said, yanking his son away from his girlfriend.

"Hey!" the boy yelled.

"Get your own," Elliot teased, looping his arm around Olivia.

She looked up at him, curious. "Later," he whispered, kissing her. "What'd I miss?"

Kathleen rolled her eyes. "The vampire wants to marry the girl, but the werewolf, his sworn enemy, is in love with her. they were gonna fight for her, but then they found out that some evil vampire is after her so they team up to protect her."

"The werewolf just kissed her, though, and the vampire saw it, so now he wants to kill him," Maureen added.

Elliot nodded, only half-understanding. "Anyone else ever kissed Liv, I'd kill him. I'm rooting for the vampire."

"You are a vampire," Olivia mumbled under her breath. "I have the scars to prove it."

He chuckled and kissed her again, this time being interrupted by the sigh and soft voice of Lizzie. "You're happy," she said. "Aren't you?"

Elliot and Olivia looked at her. "What?" Elliot asked.

"You and Mom," she said. "You're happy."

Olivia tilted her head. "Of course we are," she said. "Why are you asking…"

"I'm just thinking," the girl began, "That we were never like this when…well, before." She looked up at her father and said, "I'm realizing now that, though you acted like it, you were never happy."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Neither were you," he whispered to his daughter.

"I was," she said, curling back up beside Olivia. "When I didn't know any better, I was. I remember how I knew you weren't happy."

"When was that?" Elliot asked, intrigued by the articulate child.

Lizzie sighed. "At Maureen's birthday party. The one we had at the park last year?" she recalled. "You didn't smile the whole day. Mom…Kathy…she looked so grumpy, and you tried to kiss her but she walked away. I remember watching that thinking it was because she didn't want cooties," she said with a small laugh. "Then Liv...Mom showed up, and your eyes lit up and you smiled. She kissed your cheek and you laughed." She looked at her father. "When she went home, when she was gone, your smile left with her. That's how I knew."

"Oh, sweet pea," Elliot said with a soft sigh. "I'm…I tried to…"

"It's okay, Dad," Maureen said, chewing on popcorn. "We all noticed. And it's better now, isn't it? We're all happy."

Olivia looked over at Elliot and smiled. "You are happy, now, right?" she asked softly, nuzzling his nose.

"Deliriously," he said, nuzzling her right back. He kissed her, then focused on the movie his children were forcing him to watch.

* * *

The credits rolled, the kids put the empty popcorn bowl in the kitchen sink and plodded up to their rooms, and Olivia got off of the couch to stretch. As she lifted her arms over her head, she heard a low growl, and felt him lift her off the ground. She laughed as he attacked her neck, nibbling, kissing, and nuzzling, carrying her into their bedroom.

He dropped her onto the bed and fell on top of her, chuckling and kissing every reachable part of her. "I love you," he muttered, biting at her neck.

"You're in a playful mood," she said through a moan.

"I am," he told her, nodding. "And I wanna play with you." He nipped at her chin, then caught her bottom lip between his teeth and bit.

She yelped and picked her head up, kissing him fully as he worked his hands into her pants, sliding them down. "El," she said, muffled by his lips, scraping her nails up his back as she tried to pry off his tee-shirt.

"Baby," his equally muted reply came, as he tossed the cotton sweatpants over his head along with her silk panties.

She worked quickly, getting him out of his clothes, knowing he would have her shirt and bra off in seconds, and with a houseful of young kids, every second mattered.

He tossed away the materials he pulled off of her and covered her body with his. He slid down her frame, licking and kissing every curve, every inch, and he made his way back up, stopping an inch away from her lips. He smirked.

She moved beneath him, wriggling, writhing, and begging.

"What do you want?" he asked, teasing, taunting, poking at her entrance and skimming his lips over hers.

"You," she whispered, trying to get at his lips, but he kept moving.

He grinned down at her, moving just out of her reach again. "For how long?"

She sank into the mattress, giving up, knowing he was winning. "Forever," she told him.

He kissed her and slowly pushed, connecting them, binding them, making another new happy memory. He grunted as she moaned his name, and his eyes closed against their will, the pleasure coursing through his system was almost unbearable.

She gripped him as he moved, the pads of her fingers and her nails both digging into the flesh of his arms and back. She cried his name, her eyes clenched, and moved with him, hitting him back.

He wondered, briefly, how long he could keep her mind off of that phone call, and how long he could keep his off of the threat against them.

* * *

Lying awake with her in his arms, he was happier than ever, despite the man trying to kill them. He was staring at the ceiling, his phone call eating away at him, chipping at his resolve. He couldn't sleep until she knew, until he knew they were in it together. "Baby," he whispered, tilting his head toward her to see if she was awake. "Babe?"

She hummed, opening her eyes as she rested her head on his chest.

"That phone call before," he began. "It was Fin."

"I figured it was either him or Cragen" she said, lifting her head up a bit to look at him. She trailed her fingertips over his chest and asked, "What did he want?"

"Jo had an alibi," he told her, his eyes closing as her touch relaxed him. "A solid one. But they don't have anything to hold Tucker on." He bit his lip and said, "He told me we have to stay home for a few days. We're off the case."

Her eyes darkened and she propped herself up higher on her elbows. "What? Why? I thought Cragen said we were the only ones who could…"

"That was before we were really threatened," he interrupted. "Someone sent you roses. They didn't know you weren't there, and Cragen read the card. Liv, someone…someone doesn't want us together, they want us dead, and if we leave the house…especially if we're on this case…"

"Okay," she said, her eyes closing. "Fine. I'm sure we can think of something to do while we're home alone all day." She dropped her head back to his chest, chuckling.

"They really think it's Tucker, honey," he whispered, disbelieving. "After everything that…"

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore," she said, stopping him. She kissed him and rolled to her right, wrapping her body around his even tighter. "I just wanna be with you," she whispered, kissing him again. "Forget about it."

"No problem," he whispered, kissing her as his arms snaked around her. He moaned as she sank onto him, moved her hips, and deepened the kiss. He loved how easy it was to be with her, how real their love was. He thrust his hips, meeting her rocking motions, and promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, to keep them both together.

Everything. And anything.

**A/N: Uh-oh! Stabler has a plan! Review here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Elliot did something he swore he would never do, but he did it for a reason.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Woah, honey," Elliot said, walking into the kitchen, waving a hand in front of his face, "Easy on the bleach."

"Lizzie had something growing in here," Olivia said, sticking her head out of the fridge. "At least that's what I'm telling myself, because I refuse to believe you let things get this bad in here." She scrubbed her sponge over a stained spot on the shelf.

Elliot chuckled. "Hey, Kathy did most of the housework. I guess when she decided she was done with us, she stopped caring."

"And that meant you couldn't clean out the refrigerator?" she teased. "You yelled at me for…"

"I used to yell at you for not having anything in it," he interrupted.

She laughed and moved, wiping down the front of the fridge. "Still," she said. "We've got four kids in this house. This was just unsanitary."

"You're so bored," he said, shaking his head. "You are actually cleaning, because you're bored."

She looked at him for a moment. "I can't just want to keep the house clean so the kids…"

"Liv," he said, blinking slowly.

She sighed and tossed the sponge into the sink. "Fine. Yes. Okay? I am bored out of my mind! You left me alone for ten minutes to take a shower, and I went completely crazy. I need to be out there, chasing pedophiles or punching rapists or…"

"I'm out of the shower now," he said, raising an eyebrow. He smirked and crooked his finger at her.

She grinned and moved toward him slowly. "I smell like bleach," she said." Be warned."

He laughed as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her deeply. "I'm sorry being stuck here with me all day is killing you."

She shook her head. "No, when I'm with you, I don't mind. It's when I'm left to my own devices that I just get pissed off." She kissed him and asked, "Have you heard from Cragen?"

He shook his head as he wound his fingers through her hair. "Talked to Munch, though. And I, uh, called someone. A friend. He's gonna help."

She pulled away from him and tilted her head. "Who did you call?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No one you know," he told her. "Just someone who's gonna get close to Tucker, without being noticed, and find out if…"

"El," she broke in, "Who did you call?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why does it matter, baby?" he asked, huffing.

"Because I know you, El," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly, trying to read him. "You don't ask for help, so this is something huge, and…"

"Porter," he said, under his breath, with his mouth closed.

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "What?"

He ran a hand down his face and said, "I called Porter, okay? I swallowed my pride and asked the fucker to help us out. He's already got a guy tailing Tucker, and someone down the block, watching the house."

She studied him for a moment. "You're really scared, aren't you?"

He wrapped his arms around her again and tugged her toward him. "If it was just me he was after I wouldn't give a shit. You know that. I'd go on with my life, I'd let him try it. But you…knowing that it's you he wants to…"

She kissed him, effectively shutting him up. She ran the fingers of her right hand up and down his neck, letting the kiss remain soft, sweet, and languid.

He pulled her up by her waist, wrapping her legs around his torso, and he held on as they kissed, as they moved into the living room. He was almost to the bedroom door, when a knock the door broke them apart. Without putting her down, he moved toward the entrance. He looked through the peephole, smirked, and opened the door.

"Elliot I…hi, Olivia," Dean Porter said, eying them suspiciously.

She chuckled, knowing now why Elliot had such a smug grin on his face. She dropped to the floor and said, "Hello, Dean."

"Am I interrupting something?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Elliot said, his cocky grin still in place. "So tell me what you want and get out of here so we can go back to doing what you've interrupted."

Dean looked at her, then at Elliot, and then he understood why Elliot had called. He cleared his throat and said, "Tucker's your guy."

"How…how do you know?" Elliot asked, his grip on Olivia's hip tightening.

Dean handed Elliot a file. "You said he was drinking a lot of Pepto, right?"

Elliot flipped through the file quickly, then looked at Olivia. "There were trace amounts of antacid on the bodies of the last four vics. He was downing the stuff because he was nervous, guilty and making himself physically sick."

Olivia took the file out of his hand and flipped through it. "Handwriting analysis? How did you…"

"I had a guy get into the offices," Dean said. "He took a few things. I helped your guy compare the samples from Tucker's desk to the note that was pinned to your last vic. Perfect match." He smirked and said, "Also found a pair of black leather gloves and a stack of pictures from the crime scenes. As the crimes were…in progress."

"He took pictures?" Elliot asked, stunned.

Dean nodded. "It's in Cragen's hands now, but the way I see it, the two of you will be back to work tomorrow. I'm leaving Johansson down the street tonight, though. In case we're all wrong."

Elliot looked at the man for a few seconds. He felt a mixture of emotions, but right now, all he felt was gratitude. He held out his hand and nodded once. "Thanks," he said.

Dean took Elliot's hand, shook it, and said, "Anytime, Stabler. Like you, I'd do anything to keep her safe." He looked at Olivia once more, then walked back down the steps.

Elliot closed the door and sighed. "Damn, man. Tucker? He was always so…"

"Yeah," Olivia said, shaking her head. "At least it's over," she said with a shrug, moving toward the kitchen again.

He nodded and hummed in agreement. "I just can't believe Tucker would do this. This is so…I mean, this took skill. Real intelligence, and stealth, and he just…those were qualities I never thought that man possessed."

She poured him a cup of coffee, and one for herself, then walked back over to him She handed him his mug as she said, "You never really know anybody, El."

"I know you," he said, sipping his coffee. He sat on the couch, and he watched her as she followed, sitting beside him.

"Really?" she questioned. "How well do you think you know me?"

He licked his lips and looked at her. "I know you remember every important moment in your life, precisely. Down to the minute." He watched her eyes flash and he smirked. "I know you pretend to get irritated at sappy movies, but you really wanna cry because you're actually into them. I know that when you get sick all you wanna do is lie in bed with that blanket with the sleeves and have someone hold you until you fall asleep. I know that during sex, when you're really enjoying yourself, you curse in Italian. I know the faces you make when you're annoyed, upset, thinking, and I know the looks in your eyes. Every one of them. Like right now, you're looking at me, and I know that you honestly can't believe how well I really do know you, because everything I said has been right."

"Latin," she whispered.

"What?" he questioned, blinking.

She smiled at him. "It's not Italian, it's Latin," she said. "And I'm not cursing, I'm…it's like a prayer, but not to any kind of a god or anything." She held his gaze as she shrugged a bit. "Everything else was pretty much dead on."

"Really?" he questioned, acting overtly surprised. He took another sip of his coffee and he chuckled. "So how many other men have made you pray in Latin?"

"Just you," she told him. "I didn't even think I remembered it, until that night in the shower."

He laughed and took another sip of his coffee. "Felicitor mori. What, uh…I mean, I get if it's personal and you don't want to tell me, but…"

"Literally, it means 'happily dying, but it's a saying. It means, 'if I die at this moment, thank you for seeing that I die happy," she said with a soft smile.

"You feel like I'm killing you?" he laughed, playing with her hair.

She leaned into him. "El, with you, my heart starts pounding faster than it ever has. It's scary, and every nerve in my body tingles, every muscle tenses and burns, and for a few seconds, I feel like I'm dying. But it's the most beautiful death in the world."

"Wow," he whispered, kissing her, tangling his fingers in her hair again. "I thought it was just me," he chuckled.

She shook her head. "Guess not."

"I love you," he said, putting down his mug. He looped both arms around her and asked, "How do you say that in Latin?"

"Te amo," she laughed. "Some Latin phrases really are Italian." She kissed him, nuzzled his nose a bit, and whispered, "Semper te amo."

He deepened the kiss at her words, and against her lips he whispered, "I will love you forever, baby."

She pulled away and cocked an eyebrow.

"I went to Catholic school for eighteen years," he said with a grin. "I speak perfect Latin." He winked at her, laughed with her, and kissed her again.

He had plans for their evening, and as soon as the kids got home, he would fill them in, and pray, not in Latin, that they would go along with them.

**A/N: Well…I wonder what he's planning…review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: A night with the kids turns into something more. Something new. Something powerful. Something life-changing.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and Characters. TStabler© owns this story.**

"So, you enjoyed your day off?" Maureen asked, passing her father the mashed potatoes.

Elliot laughed. "It wasn't exactly a great reason to stay home, but yeah, we had a pretty good time. We got to relax, ya know? Liv read a book, and she, uh, she cleaned out the fridge."

"Whoa," Kathleen said, looking at Olivia with wide eyes.

"Your father mowed the lawn and did the laundry," Olivia shrugged. "It was a day of surprises, to say the least," she said, recalling that Elliot had called Dean Porter, his sworn enemy, for help and the man came through.

Elliot looked at her and sighed. "It was a good day, though."

"Yeah," she said, nodding as she bit down on a piece of steak. She caught his suggestive grin, alluding to the many hours they'd spent in the bedroom.

Dickie cleared his throat. "So, uh, Dad, you said you were gonna do something?"

"Not right now," Elliot said with a mouthful as his eyes widened. "Can we eat first?"

Lizzie laughed. "We're a little anxious, Daddy. This is pretty cool."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Are we going back to Disneyland?"

"No," Elliot said, looking at her, "But I'm thinking about shipping the kids off to California on their own. When they learn how to keep their mouths shut, they can come back."

Maureen laughed. "Like she's not gonna figure it out the second you..."

"Mo!" Elliot yelled, tossing a roll at her.

Maureen laughed, picked up the roll, shrugged and bit it. "Needs butter," she said.

Olivia dropped her fork and looked at Elliot. "What is going on, here?"

"Now you have to do it, Dad," Dickie said. "She's not gonna stop asking."

Elliot sighed, ran a hand down his face, and then tossed his napkin onto the table. He rose from his seat and held out his hand to Olivia. "Come with me," he said to her. She raised an eyebrow, but slipped her hand into his, getting out of the seat. The kids moved to follow them, but Elliot turned on them. "No," he said. "Stay. You've done enough."

The kids sat, obediently, and looked at each other. "What do you think she's gonna say?" Lizzie asked.

"I think she's gonna punch him," Dickie said, spooning the potatoes off of his father's plate and onto his. "She's gonna punch him very hard."

"Why would she punch him, Dickweed?" Maureen asked, still chewing on her roll.

Dickie smirked. "You know she hates to cry. She's gonna let him have it if she starts to cry because of him"

The kids laughed, then looked toward the living room, watching and waiting. Just beyond the doorway, Elliot had led Olivia over to the wall, placed her in front of the photo she loved, and stood behind her.

"That picture," he said, "Is special. You're all sleeping, it proves absolute comfort and trust in each other."

Olivia nodded. "I'm pretty sure the kids trust me."

"They do," he said. He took a breath and pulled her hand again, leading her to the photo of the two of them, posing like idiots at the department gala. "This one," he said, "Shows how much we rely on each other for companionship. No matter how serious the situation is, we manage to have fun, because we're together."

She shook her head, smirking. "You interrupted dinner to analyze..."

He spun her around and held out an unframed photo. A fairly recent shot. "This one," he began, "Is just us. Anyone looking at this will clearly see how much I love you, just by looking at the way I'm looking at you."

She looked up at him, tilted her head, and asked a silent question.

"Love," he said. "With trust, loyalty, and the true happiness we give to each other, baby, that's...that's real. Easy. That's forever."

"El, what are you..." she stopped, and gasped when he flipped the photo over, and revealed a solitary diamond on a shining silver band taped to it's back.

"I want forever," he said. He was looking into her shocked eyes, praying she wouldn't run, praying she really wanted it the way she'd told him she did.

She let her fingertips graze the stone and trace the band. "El," she whispered.

"Liv?" he responded. It was a question.

She blinked away the tears and looked up into his eyes again. She said nothing as she kissed him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tight as they stood in the middle of their living room.

"Yeah, Dickface," Kathleen said from her watching post, turning to her brother. "She really let him have it."

* * *

She was comfortable, lying on her warm, muscular pillow, his arms cocooning her in love and safety. So when the phone rang, disturbing her peaceful and intimate slumber, she was less than happy. "Shoot it," she grumbled, kissing his bare chest as she rolled a bit, beginning to awaken as she moved her hands.

"I would," he mumbled, "But that isn't my gun."

She chuckled. "Oh, I know what this is," she snarked, stroking once, teasing him.

He moaned as his hand shot out to grab the offending device. "Stabler," he growled. "Okay, you need to talk to her. Well, why are you calling...why would she be here?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. He still wanted to keep this from Cragen. "Gimme the phone," she whispered, but she saw the look on his face change from playful and sexy to hurt and terrified. He was silent as he listened to his captain.

"I'll go get her," he said softly. "Thanks for leaving this is my hands, ya know, you could tell her...better coming from me? It's gonna hurt no matter who...right. We'll be right down." He hung up and tried to sit up, moving Olivia's warm body off of his. "Honey..."

"Oh, no, I hate when you look at me like that," she said, worried now.

"Baby, that was obviously Cragen," he said. "Your mom was released from the hospital yesterday..."

She stopped him with a furrowed brow. "I knew that, El. He called to tell you..."

"She went to a bar," he interrupted. "She got...she was really drunk, baby."

"What happened?" she asked, her body tightening next to him.

He shook his head, not wanting to tell her, not wanting to cause her any pain on a night that should have been painless. "She...there were these steps and..."

"No," she said, her voice trembling.

"She...baby, she fell and..." he stopped talking, lifting his hand to brush away the tears from under her eyes. "I'm so sorry, baby."

She fell into him, crying slow tears and breathing hard, unsure of if she was mourning the loss of her mother, or the loss of the chance of ever having one.

"We have to go down to the station," he whispered, his arms running up and down her back, trying to comfort her. "They need to..."

She nodded and sniffled, pulling herself off of him, and she said, "What about the kids?"

He shrugged. "Lisa," he suggested.

She nodded and moved to get out of the bed, knowing that her lesbian neighbor, and now good friend, would take great care of them.

They dressed in silence, every few seconds a hand would reach out to caress a cheek, or grip a bit of flesh and muscle, the need for connection and comfort overwhelming them. He walked her out to the car, then ran next door to Lisa's.

Olivia watched, dazed, as the redhead ran across her lawn to the Stabler door, and Elliot made his way toward the car. He opened the driver's side, slid in, and grabbed Olivia's left hand, his thumb brushing over her ring. He brought their linked hands up to the gear shift, quietly put the car in drive, and they were on their way.

* * *

Cragen was waiting for them outside, and without any hesitation or thought, he strode up to them, enveloping Olivia in his arms almost as soon as she got out of the car. "Are you all right?" he asked, pushing back to look at her.

She nodded, then sniffled. "El," she said. "He's taking good care of me."

Cragen shot Elliot a nasty look, but nodded. "Good," he said. He guided her into the building, ignoring the annoyed grunt from Elliot behind him. He walked her to the elevator, and once inside he said, "They just want to tell you what happened, ask you some questions."

She nodded. "I know," she said. "El told me...he told me everything he could."

"That's good." Cragen softened his look as he watched Olivia move, slowly, back into Elliot's arms. "Tucker's in custody," he said, knowing they needed to hear some good news.

"Thank God," Elliot said, lifting his eyes toward the Heavens, his head resting on Olivia's.

"Yeah," Cragen said as he narrowed his eyes, noticing their body language, noticing they still weren't planning on telling him the truth, but knowing he had been less than honest, too. He had to make the veiled threat now, before it was too late.

The elevator dinged, and as Olivia moved first, wanting to get this over with, Cragen pulled on Elliot's arm. "You know," he said, "That means there's an opening in IAB, if you want to transfer or..."

"No thanks," Elliot said, his eyes holding a slight bitterness. "I'm good." He pulled his arm away from Cragen. "If you'll excuse me, my partner needs me right now."

Cragen watched him run, catching up to Olivia. He watched him grab her hand, and he watched her fall into him, her hands working up around his neck. He saw the ring, glittering in the light, and that's when he knew his battle was well and truly lost.

There was nothing he could do now except let it happen. Someone else could do something, though. He ran a hand down his face, thinking. He would let this pass first, because she really did need him right now, but he would make that phone call. He would be surprised, though, to hear the man's response.

**A/N: Who does Cragen call? And a surprising speech at Serena's funeral affects Olivia and Elliot's relationship. In a good way? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Someone gives a speech at Serena's funeral that leaves her, and Elliot, in a daze. Cragen's phone call backfires, and the truth comes out.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

Olivia felt the tug at her hand, and she clutched whoever it was as the people filed right by her, either not recognizing her because it had been too damn long or not knowing who she was at all. She grimaced as people dropped sympathy cards and prayer envelopes into the basket beside the coffin, not wanting to read the words of praise and regret.

No one in the room knew Serena Benson for who she really was. No one except Olivia, and it hurt to know that her mother would never know how much, despite it all, she was loved.

"Mom," the child who'd grabbed her hand whispered, "It's okay to cry."

She looked down, away from the crowd of unfamiliar faces, to see Dickie at her side. "I don't need to cry," she said with a sad smile. "But thank you for letting me know I can if I need to later."

He stood on his toes and kissed her cheek, gave her hand another squeeze, and she turned her head, this time jumping at Elliot's face right next to her.

"Sorry," he said, kissing her softly. "Listen, uh, you know Lizzie is telling anyone who'll listen that you're her mother, and Grandma Serena is with God now. But how did that man over there come to the conclusion that we're married? Lizzie didn't even..."

"Olivia?" a woman queried, stepping up to her, Her gray hair was thin and styled in a beehive-esque pile on top of her head, her eyes were set deep behind square-framed glasses, but Olivia knew who it was.

"Hello, Margaret," Olivia said, forcing a smile.

The woman smiled. "Olivia, I haven't seen you since..."

"High school," Olivia nodded. "I know."

Margaret, the woman, looked over at Elliot, then back to Olivia. "Your daughters are beautiful, child. And that boy of yours is gonna be a heartbreaker."

Olivia laughed, knowing it was true. She shrugged. "It's their father's fault. I had nothing to do with their beauty or charm."

Elliot nudged her. "She's being modest," he said, as he held his hand out. "I'm Elliot. Olivia's..."

"Elliot Stabler," Margaret said. "My goodness, Serena was right about you. I know she's heartbroken she wasn't at the wedding, none of us were. I know eloping was your only option with her around, but we all have heard so much about you."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Elopement? Um, I'm sorry but who..."

Olivia interrupted him. "El, she's the dean at the university where my mother taught," she explained.

Margaret shook her head and smiled. "Serena told us all about the two of you. She told us how you charmed the pants off her little girl, how handsome you were, and she was so sure you'd run off with Olivia it didn't surprise her when you did. She really didn't do you justice, come to think of it."

Elliot chuckled. "Well, uh, thank you. I think."

Olivia blinked. "My mother told you about him?"

Margaret nodded and peered over her glasses. "Told us all that you fell in love with him the moment you met, he swept you off your feet in a matter of days, and the way she told the story it was as if she hated him for not seeing what was right in front of him. She told us all you were too good for him, and that when you eloped with him she almost...well, never mind that now. Your family is beautiful, Olivia. I'm sorry her condition kept her away from you, and them, for so long. Now it's..." the woman paused as her eyes welled up with tears. "Now it seems the drink took her away from your family's future, too."

Olivia turned slightly, dropping her eyes to the casket. "Yeah," she said. "Seems that way."

Elliot intruded, clearing his throat. "Excuse me, Margaret, I have...people." He pointed to the door, noticing Cragen, Munch, and Fin entering the parlor.

Olivia held her breath, knowing that if anyone began talking to them the words "wife," "mother," and "elopement" would hit their ears in seconds. She bit her lip, eying them, and tried to turn her attention back to Margaret.

"Olivia, sweetness," the woman said, taking Olivia's hand. "I know how volatile your relationship with her was, so I wrote something for her, and for you, would you mind if I..."

"Oh," she interrupted, surprised and nervous, "Go right ahead. I can't...well, I wouldn't know what to say." She stepped back and watched, biting her tongue as Margaret stepped up onto the raised platform next to the casket.

"Excuse me," her voice rang out.

Elliot, seeing the speech start, and seeing the speaker, made his way back toward Olivia and grabbed her hand. "What's she doing?"

"No idea," Olivia shrugged.

Margaret looked at the casket and sighed, then looked at the crowd of mourners. "You all knew Serena Benson, the professor and, as she liked to believe, the doting mother. I, however, knew Serena Benson, the person. She had...monsters. Skeleton's in her closet that she had to battle hard to keep hidden. All of that struggling left, in it's wake, a beautiful daughter who never knew how much her mother loved her, because she was a different person at home than she was with each of us."

"Oh, God," Olivia whimpered softly, falling backward into Elliot's arms.

Margaret continued. "Serena loved her daughter more than anything, but hated herself even more. The demons that she fought were stronger than she was, and they won, sadly after she'd lost her child for good. It's a pity that no one will ever know the power of the love this woman had for her child, and her grandchildren, because she was never one to show it to those who mattered. She was so cold to the ones she loved that it forced her daughter to keep her family away to spare them the pain of knowing her. I'm sure half of you didn't even know she had a daughter, let alone grandchildren."

The crowd murmured, pointing at Olivia and nodding in understanding, then pointing at the kids and Elliot.

"Grandchildren?" Fin asked, confused.

Cragen pressed his lips together, shaking his head. He looked around as if he expected someone to walk in any minute, listening with one ear at the speaking woman.

"I will miss my friend and my colleague, and you will all miss your teacher, adviser, and co-worker. But there are six people here who will not miss what she was to them, but what she could have been to them. What she should have been to them. And that, tonight, is the loss we truly mourn. Rest in peace, Serena. Look over them in Heaven as you would have on Earth, if you could have. Be their angel, now that you're free to do so."

A spattering of applause filtered through the room as slow, hot tears streamed down Olivia's face onto Elliot's shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered to Margaret, grabbing her hand as she walked passed.

Margaret looked at her with a soft smile. "It needed to be said," she whispered, kissing Olivia on the cheek. "Maybe now that there's nothing to be afraid of, you'll come by the university more often."

"Count on it," Elliot said before Olivia could speak. He hid the smirk well as he said, "My wife and I would love to spend more time with you."

Olivia raised an eyebrow as Margaret walked away. "Just play into my mother's lie, El. Go right ahead."

"Liv, if everyone in this room thinks it, it's probably best to let them believe it," he said, kissing her softly.

Cragen walked up to them, clearing his throat. They both turned and he rested a hand on Olivia's arm. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, sniffling once. "I'm fine. I'm gonna be fine."

"I called someone for you," Cragen said, smiling a bit. "Someone I thought you needed here." He gestured to his left and Dean Porter stepped forward, hands in his pockets and a sad grin on his face.

Elliot felt his jealousy bubble, squeezed Olivia's hand, and looked at her.

"Dean," she said softly, her voice emotionless. "Cap, why did you..."

"Jefe," Elliot said, "You really didn't have to call him."

Cragen smirked at Elliot. "Yes, I did," he said. He waited, hoping to watch his last effort at breaking her away from him work.

Dean stepped forward. "Hi, Olivia. I'm...I'm sorry about your mother."

Olivia nodded. "Thanks," she said. "Elliot and I..."

"I know," Dean interrupted. "That nice woman over there told me everything. Lies, all of it, but if that's what your mother wanted people to think then so be it, right?"

Olivia laughed. "Yeah, she had quite an imagination."

"I think she was just trying to give everyone the impression that you were happy," Dean said to her. He glanced at Elliot, then back to her. "Are you happy?"

She nodded. "Not at this exact moment, but yes. I am. It's been a long time, Dean. Things kind of..."

"Elliot and I talk, Olivia," Dean said.

Her eyebrows shot up but they weren't the only ones. Cragen, to their left, was shocked. "What?" the captain asked.

Dean smiled at Elliot and held out a hand. "Glad you're really taking care of her," he said.

"I told you I would," Elliot responded.

"When Cragen called me, I know he expected me to come in here on a white horse and take you away from all of your problems," Dean said with a chuckle, "But he doesn't realize that your knight in shining armor has been here the whole time. I'll be in the back, by Fin, if you need me. And for what it's worth, I really am sorry. For everything."

Olivia nodded, then turned to look at her captain. "You called a man I haven't seen, or talked to, in any personal aspect, that is, in over two years because you thought I'd want to see him?"

"I thought...you might need..."

Elliot stepped forward, gripping Olivia's hand in his. "Look, Cap, you win, all right? There's something going on with me and Liv. There has been since you accused us of it when Kathy left me. We went to Disneyland together and we came back together, and we were keeping it from you, or trying to, because we were afraid of what you'd do to us."

Cragen's eyes narrowed. "Elliot, I..."

"No, Cap, you need to listen to me. This isn't stopping, it's not ending, it's not a fling. I already called the chief, knowing you'd find out sooner or later, I asked her to marry me. We're getting married. I know you're not happy with it, with us, I'll transfer if I have to, but for the love of God, stop trying to rip her away from me! You're really hurting..."

"Elliot!" Cragen barked, interrupting. He had a look of pure hostility in his eyes, and his face was reddening, but he took a breath and his eyes softened. "You're getting married?"

Elliot took a breath himself, exhaling as a smile spread over his face. He looked lovingly at Olivia, though she looked near tears again. "We are," he said, staring into her eyes. "And there's not a damned thing anyone can do to talk us out of it."

Cragen sighed, he ran a hand down his face. "I get that now, I was just...I was trying to protect her."

Olivia turned. "Protect me? From Elliot?"

Cragen nodded slightly and shrugged. "I don't trust him, Olivia. Not with you, not like this. If he ever does anything..."

"Don," Elliot interrupted, surprising everyone with his choice of name, "She's always been the one person in my life, next to my kids, that I am incapable of hurting. It's my job to keep people from hurting her, and I intend to do that, for the rest of my life."

Cragen nodded, backing away slowly as he had nothing else to say. He walked out of the funeral parlor, feeling something new surge in him. Something he hadn't allowed himself to feel for Elliot in months. He smirked as he reached his car and he realized, it was pride.

**A/N: Family game night like only the Stablers could have. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Family game night. Who's breaking the rules? **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. The story you are about to read belongs to Tstabler©**

"Echelon?" Dickie asked, wide eyed. "Is that even a word?"

Lizzie nodded. "It means 'level of authority,' Dickie. We had it in Social Studies. Guess you don't pay attention in that class, either."

Dickie rolled his eyes and said, "Thirty-nine points for that stupid word."

Elliot chuckled. "She's kicking all of our butts, Dickie. Don't feel too badly about it," he said, scruffing his son's hair.

Olivia had her head resting on Elliot's shoulder, watching the action, sharing his tiles, hoping no one spelled any words that would remind her of her mother, or work, or anything that would make her realize she still felt like she was making a mistake.

He turned his head and kissed her. His eyes closed instantly, every time their lips touched. "I love you," he whispered.

She smiled at him, her eyes glinting as she lifted her head. "I love you, too."

"Hey, Ozzie and Harriet, can you put a word down?" Maureen teased with folded arms. "Or do you wanna play something else, now?"

Elliot chuckled as he looked down at his tiles. He shrugged and said, "The only words we can make with these are 'in' and 'male."

"I would still win," Lizzie said proudly.

Olivia laughed. "What else is new?" she asked, reaching across the table to smooth the girl's hair back. "Pick a new game, guys."

"Set it up, we'll be right back," Elliot declared, pulling on Olivia's hand.

She rose, following him into the kitchen, confused. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking at him when he stopped.

He moved closer to her, pressing her up against the counter, and he kissed her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I just…I know you and the kids are trying to keep my mind off it, off of everything, but…"

He cut her off with a soft kiss. "It's hard," he whispered. "We've got a lot to worry about now. Your mother's will, her estate, what's gonna happen with work, I know. I just want us to have one night where none of it matters. Where it's just us, just our family, ya know?"

She nodded. "I'm loving it," she said with a small smile. "Thank you, El."

He kissed her again, pressing into her as the kiss deepened, as his tongue slipped into her mouth and his hands twisted in her hair. He heard her moan softly and he felt her hands slide up his back. "Baby," he whispered, his right hand falling out of her hair and down to her hip. He tugged, pulling her body closer to his, rolling his hips once, letting her know that if they didn't stop, there would be a problem.

She couldn't pull away. She didn't have the will power to let him go. She was ready and willing to do whatever he wanted, but Kathleen's voice rang through the house. "Monopoly!" she yelled. "Daddy, you wanna be the thimble right?"

Elliot gave a hard grunt into Olivia's mouth, mumbled, "Fucking hell," and gasped for air when he pulled away. "Yeah!" he yelled, breathless.

"Are you and Mom teaming up?" Maureen asked loudly.

Elliot ran a hand down his face and tugged on his sweatpants. "Not anymore," he snarked quietly.

Olivia chuckled and took his hand, and she called out, "Yeah, Mo, we are!"

He pulled her back into the living room, and he sat on the very end of the couch. He pulled her down on his lap, to hide his incredibly obvious arousal and to be as close to her as possible, and he picked up the dice. "Who's ready for Mom and Dad to to…"

The doorbell rang, interrupting him. He looked at Olivia, raised an eyebrow, and he turned his head toward his kids. "Mo, could you get that?"

Maureen nodded, pushing herself up, and she walked to the door. She opened it, looked at the delivery guy, and said, "Yeah?"

"Delivery for Olivia Benson," the man said, holding out a box and a bouquet of flowers. "Need to sign for it," he said.

Maureen took the items, then lifted the pen on the clipboard and signed her name. "Thanks," she said, closing the door. "Mom, this came for…"

"Wow," Olivia gasped, getting off of Elliot's lap, forcing him to grab a pillow. "Elliot, did you…'

He shook his head and said, "No, baby. Why would I have flowers like that delivered to you? I would just bring them home, baby."

Olivia laughed at him and then walked over to Maureen. She took the box and the card, and she returned to her spot on Elliot's lap as Maureen walked into the kitchen with the flowers. "It's from Cragen," she told him.

Elliot took the box, opening it carefully, and his eyebrows shot up. "Honey," he whispered. "I think he's sorry."

"That's what the card says," she said with a shrug. "What's in the…oh, wow." She let her hand trace over the heart shaped pendant, her birthstone in the middle with Elliot's and the kids' stones along the right edge. "You think he's…"

"Acknowledging the fact that you and I are together, that you're the kids' stepmother?" he suggested. "Yeah, I think he is."

Olivia shook her head and flipped the lid of the box down. "Who's rolling?" she asked, moving the box and the card to the end table.

Elliot eyed her, wondering why she'd chosen to ignore it, but he sighed and said, "Lizzie. She won the last game."

Lizzie tilted her head, confused at Olivia's behavior, but she picked up the dice and rolled. She grabbed the silver dog and bounced it around the board. She landed on a space and rolled her eyes, then forked over some fake money to her father. "Of course, I land on Luxury Tax on the first roll."

Elliot chuckled as he took her money, and he said, "Wait until you're my age, and everything is taxes and bills."

"No, thank you," Lizzie said with a shudder, passing the dice to Dickie.

The game lasted for forty minutes, ending when Elliot stopped it because his kids were fighting. Olivia had been in a daze, it seemed, her eyes traveling from the board to the necklace, wondering what Cragen was trying to prove, exactly. Why he had asked Dean to the wake, why he didn't trust Elliot.

She shook her head as she got up, grabbed the phone, and walked into the kitchen. She sat on a bench by the island, and started dialing a few numbers she'd memorized. Planning the wedding, she thought, would take her mind off of the funeral.

* * *

Another two hours of famliy fun passed, after Olivia had returned from the kitchen with a smile on her face. The games were put away, the kids were getting ready for bed, and Elliot was on his way into the shower. He heard the door open and he smirked. "You okay?" he asked,

She ran her hands over his shoulders. "I'm good," she said. "Better now that everything's done."

He turned to face her and asked, "You suddenly planning everything tonight had nothing to do with that gift from…"

"What's he doing, El?" she asked, interrupting. "Is he trying to guilt me into forgetting everything he's been pulling? Does he think it's gonna make it all go away?"

He pulled her into his arms and said, "I think he's just taking a step. It's gonna take time, Liv. He probably thinks I'm just as much of an ass at home as I am at work. He doesn't know…"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "Take your shower, El. I'll go make sure the kids get in bed, I have one more phone call to make, and I'll meet you in bed."

He kissed her finger, moved her hand, then kissed her lips. "Okay." He watched her leave and sighed heavily as he turned back toward the shower. He couldn't wait to get into bed, cuddle with her, hold her close, and make all of her problems go away.

She walked down to the kitchen again, grabbing the cordless phone from where she left it. She picked it up and dialed, waiting for the person to pick up. When he did she held her breath for a moment. "Where did you get it?" she asked, her eyes closing. "I know what it is, and it's beautiful, but where did you…"

She stopped, listening to his explanation. She took another breath and said, "And you never told me any of this because you thought you'd be protecting me? Cap…thank you, but I don't need protecting." She walked into the living room, picked up the necklace and ran a finger over it. She recognized the heart immediately, it used to be her mother's.

Cragen had found it in her bag when they searched it for evidence after the car accident. He had it polished, engraved, and had the stones put in for Olivia, to apologize for the trouble he'd caused, and to give her a bit of her mother back. It was a nice gesture.

"Oh," she said, responding to Cragen on the phone, "Yeah. It's next month. Everything was finalized today. Yeah, I'm sure, Cap. Thank you," she said, smiling.

She listened to what he said, breathing a sigh of relief, and she hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" a voice behind her said.

She turned to see Maureen, her arms folded. "That was just Captain Cragen," she said. "He wanted to know when the wedding was."

"Is he gonna split you guys up?" Maureen asked, walking closer.

Olivia shook her head. "No, sweetie. I don't think anyone could, not even him."

Maureen hugged Olivia, closed her eyes, and said, "Thank God for that." She squeezed, then looked up at Olivia. "I love you."

Feeling her heart swell, Olivia blinked. She looked down into the girl's eyes and smiled. "I love you, too, sweetie."

"You're not gonna leave, right?" she asked.

Olivia squinted. "Honey, no, I…why would I leave?"

Maureen shrugged. 'Daddy always used to say that you left everything after a while, and he didn't understand why."

"Well, I am not leaving you guys. I'm…" she stopped to take a breath, and she realized that she was breaking every one of her personal rules. She was changing everything by marrying Elliot, and she willingly made the final arrangements by herself, without even thinking. "I'm never leaving."

"Good," Maureen said, kissing her cheek with a smile. She bounded up the stairs again and walked happily into her room.

Olivia sighed, a content, comfortable sound, and walked up the stairs, too. She stepped quietly into their bedroom, and she saw Elliot already under the blanket. She changed, watching him as he watched her, and she slipped under the covers and scooted over to him.

He wrapped her in his arms, kissed her, and whispered, "I love you so much."

She smiled and nuzzled further into him. "I love you," she whispered back. And with everything in place, everyone on their side now, she knew that when she woke up, it would be to a bright, new day. The doubts and fears were gone, and it was just as easy and smooth as it had been when they shared their first kiss.

Something new, though, would come along and make it even easier.

**A/N: Last chapter coming at ya, the wedding, more time with the kids, and a decision on where they're taking their honeymoon. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: A wedding, a reception, and a honeymoon destination that may not be traditional, but it's gonna be fun.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

Time flew by quickly, Elliot rushed to get everything ready, and the kids cleaned the house, making every room spotless. The laundry that had been piling up was done, sorted, and put away, and surprisingly nothing had shrunk or turned colors.

They had gone to meet with several lawyers, it seemed Serena had more than one, and were surprised to find out that everything the woman had was left to, not just Olivia, but Elliot, and she had left a few thousand dollars in cash and heirlooms to each child. Serena believed her own lie.

They were given the deed to the house Olivia grew up in, since Serena still owned it and was renting it out for an extra income. They were given the keys to a few safe-deposit boxes in several banks around the city, the combined contents of which were staggering and more than they could ever need.

Work was crazy; Elliot and Olivia pulled off two three-day-cases, back to back, and were thankful they had the day before the wedding off. They needed the sleep.

Sleep, though, was the last thing on Elliot's mind. Once they were home, and he let the fact that they didn't have to wake up in the morning hit him, he became an animal. He threw her down onto the bed, tore of her clothes, using every bit of willpower he had not to use his teeth, and he ravaged her. Many times.

They fell into a deep sleep hours later, and awoke late in the afternoon, bleary-eyed and hungry. He made an amazing lunch, the kids came home from school and they gathered around the television to watch a movie, one that had nothing to do with vampires, and chatted about the wonderment the next day would bring.

"Are you ready to be a wife?" Maureen asked, teasing Olivia.

Olivia let the question hang in the air for a moment, and she turned to look at Elliot. "Yes," she said. "I am." She finally felt ready, finally felt that it was time, and it was right.

"Okay, guys," Elliot said, rising and grabbing the empty popcorn bowl. "We have a big day tomorrow. I need you all showered and in bed, go."

The kids got up from their spots, kissed Olivia and their father goodnight, and bounded up the stairs, looking forward to waking up and seeing Olivia officially become their mother.

Olivia, on her feet at the foot of the stairs, watched all of the bedroom doors close, and she was smiling at her children. She considered them hers.

"Did you lie to the kids?" Elliot asked, his voice low as he interrupted her thoughts.

She snapped her head toward him. "What? No!" she said, shaking her head. "I want this, El. I want this, with you, tomorrow."

He kissed her softly, ran his hands down her arms, and said, "It's not gonna change anything. It's just a party and a piece of paper. Once that certificate is in our hands, once that priest pronounces us man and wife, that's it, though. You can't go anywhere, because I'll be damned if I ever sign any…"

Her lips on his silenced him. He moaned softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I will never want you to," she whispered. "You had a hard enough time convincing me marriage was a good idea," she laughed. "Divorce scares me more than marriage ever did, El. I don't want…"

This time, he did the interrupting. His kiss was demanding, reassuring, and loving at once. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, her arms tightening as the kiss deepened. A car horn honking broke them apart. "I gotta go," she moaned.

He laughed. "I know," he said. "Tell the girls not to corrupt you, or I'll kill them."

She chuckled, grabbed a packed bag and her dress, and kissed him again. "I'll see you there," she whispered. With another kiss and a wink, she was gone.

"Bye," he said quietly, after she'd already left. He smiled at the closed door, turned, and walked into his bedroom. He crawled into bed and smiled, thinking about the morning, thinking about her, thinking about everything he loved and wanted, and would soon have.

* * *

"Hold still!" Melinda snapped, a pin in her mouth and one in her hand. Olivia's dress had gotten snagged on the door, she was trying to pin it up. "Quit fidgeting, Benson!"

Olivia sighed. "Am I supposed to be this nervous?" she asked.

Melinda chuckled as she pinned up the lace. "Yes," she said. "It means you love him, and you want this to be perfect."

"Yeah, Mom," Maureen said, twirling the ribbon on her dress.

Olivia turned, and she smiled. "You all look so pretty," she said, tears in her eyes. "So beautiful," she whispered, brushing Lizzie's hair back.

Kathleen smiled back. "So do you. Mom. You're really our mother now."

"Not yet," Lizzie said. "But soon." She hugged Olivia and stepped away as a knock on the door sounded.

Melinda raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you're a real mother now, Benson."

Olivia smacked Melinda in the arm and shook her head. "Shut up," she hissed with wide-eyes.

"Olivia?" the man opening the door questioned.

Olivia sighed, playing with the heart-shaped pendant around her neck. "Yeah," she said in a breathy tone.

Cragen smiled at her. "You look beautiful," he said.

She smiled. A thank you.

"It's time," he said, holding his arm out for her. He had done everything he could to make up for his actions, and it all resulted in Olivia asking him to give her away. She nodded, and watched as her bridesmaids, most of whom were her soon-to-be stepdaughters, file through the door and line up at the entryway.

She heard the music begin, her heart thudded and almost stopped, and she squeezed her captain's arm. She followed as he walked, taking each step with a deep breath and a blink.

"I'm…I'm still not sure if this is right," Cragen whispered as they moved, "But if you're happy, Olivia, that's all that I need to know to be okay with this."

"I'm happy," she whispered, her eyes straight ahead, searching for Elliot at the end of the white runner.

Cragen smiled, knowing what she was doing. "He's there," he said. "He's there, waiting for you, and has been for the last hour. He hasn't moved."

She took another breath when she saw him. He looked magnificent. She took another step and she felt all eyes on her. She felt the people staring, but she was only looking at him.

Their eyes locked, and his face lit up. She looked breathtaking. He held his breath as she walked closer, as her steps brought her toward him.

"Who gives this woman away?" the priest asked.

Cragen slipped Olivia's hand out of his and into Elliot's. "I do," he said, eyeing Elliot to tell him silently that he did it hesitantly. A part of him would never really believe Elliot was good enough for her. He sighed, stepping back and sitting down.

Elliot squeezed Olivia's hand, and he mouthed "I love you," never letting his eyes drop from hers. Nothing the priest said was heard, he simply mechanically said, "I do," when he was supposed to.

Her eyes stayed glued to his as she repeated the two simple words, and she was handed a ring, taking it without even looking at who had held it out to her. She repeated the vows, slipping the ring onto his finger with a shaking hand.

He did the same, his hand shaking much more than hers was, his voice almost cracked and his eyes watered as he slipped the ring over her knuckle.

The priest cleared his throat, asked if anyone there had any reason that the two people in front of him should not be married, and thankfully the room was silent. Elliot smiled at her, she smiled back, and their hands gave a simultaneous squeeze.

She was almost his wife, he was almost her husband, and she wouldn't breathe normally until it was over. Until it was final.

Elliot moved toward her as soon as the priest had said he could kiss her, he'd declared them legally married, and his lips were on hers before she could even process what had happened.

The entire church erupted in applause, Munch whistled, and most of them cried. An unexpected reaction from Kathy, tears and a slow clap, drew their attention for a moment, but they immediately returned it to each other. They kissed one more time, and then he led her out of the church, and into their new life.

* * *

The hall was beautifully decorated, and they laughed at the fact that they were here for something other than a gala or the annual Black and White ball. "This is so much better than any of them," he had whispered when she mentioned it.

"I know it is," she said, smiling as he danced her around the room.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look, yet?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

She chuckled. "Only seventeen times," she said with a shrug, kissing his lips.

"Oh, that's not nearly enough," he laughed. "You look so beautiful, Liv." He let his eyes run up and down her body appreciatively. "And you're all mine."

"For the rest of your life," she said, grinning.

He kissed her and pulled her closer, listening to the band finish the song, and he grinned as he knew what was coming next. "Oh, I think you're gonna like this one," he whispered.

She let the starting notes hit her ears, and while their wedding song was one of her favorites, this song topped it. "Oh, El, you…"

"I did," he said. He kissed her and whispered, "I couldn't get Jeff Buckley, but these guys are doing pretty good."

"They're perfect," she whispered.

Elliot shook his head. "No, perfect is gonna be the next three weeks driving across the country. Pit stops at the Grand Canyon, the Rockies, and anything else you wanna climb or see or do." He kissed her. "It all ends in San Francisco, baby. Our feet in the Pacific Ocean, looking out at the other end of the world."

Her eyes said everything her voice couldn't, and he laughed at her shocked face as he kissed her. "It really is easy with you," she whispered.

"Amazing isn't it, Misses Stabler?" he asked, his lips trailing over her neck.

She let her eyes flutter closed, and she hummed a response. She smiled when she heard him singing "Hallelujah" into her ear as he pressed soft kisses to her skin. She was his, eternally, and there was only one more thing she had to tell him. She chuckled as she thought of it, but she decided it could wait.

"I love you," he whispered.

She smiled at him and whispered, "I love you, too," and let his kiss quiet her thoughts and her words. She let one final thing slip into her mind as they swayed around the room. It would be one hell of a honeymoon.

**A/N: Something new…as they climb a mountain? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: The first stop on a road trip to remember. And a revelation that isn't surprising, but it is…something new.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

They'd left as soon as the sun rose, after kissing the kids goodbye and leaving Kathy, who would be staying with them, a list of dos-and-donts and emergency numbers. They'd been driving for barely thirty minutes, when Olivia turned to Elliot. "Are you hungry?"

"We just had breakfast before we left the house," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah," she said, shrugging, "But I'm probably eating for two now, so I should probably eat something more than just a Pop-Tart."

He said nothing, but he put his blinker on and pulled over into the shoulder of the road. "I'm sorry. I didn't get that. What did you just say?"

She bit her lip, glanced at him, and through her half-closed mouth she said, "I think I'm pregnant."

He blinked. "You think? Wh-what does…how do you think and not know? Uh, did you take a test, or…"

"I'm late, El," she interrupted. "I'm almost three weeks late, and I'm…I just feel different."

He let out a harsh breath on a laugh, and he shook his head as he looked up at the roof of the car. "Oh, my God, baby," he chuckled. "This is…that would be fucking…we need to find out! I can't wait until…"

"You knew, didn't you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"What?" he asked, his head popping up and his eyes widening slightly.

She ran a hand through her hair and smiled at him. "If you didn't know, you must have been hoping for it. I mean, you planned a road trip, El. Pregnant women can't fly, and you didn't plan this trip to anywhere I'd be inclined to drink, you must have…"

"Your eyes," he finally said, interrupting her in a whisper. "Your eyes got brighter, and they started, I dunno, twinkling. The look in your eyes for the last couple of weeks, God, I can't stop staring at you. I guess I just thought that it meant something." He took her hand and squeezed it slightly. "And we could have flown, that rule only applies to people in their third trimester who are high-risk…"

"You wanna find out?" she asked, stopping him. "Before we get too far out in the middle of nowhere?"

He nodded with a goofy grin on his face, leaned over the console, and kissed her. "I think we should find out before we do any mountain climbing, or base jumping, or anything else going on in that adventure-seeking mind of yours."

She laughed and let out a breath. "Okay," she said, letting go of his hand so he could drive away. He made an illegal U-turn, heading back toward the city to their family physician, hoping he would have another reason to celebrate.

* * *

An hour and a half later, they were back on the road, and Elliot couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. He glanced over at Olivia, who was humming and sucking on a lollipop as she read the label on a bottle of pills. "Baby, you all right?"

She nodded. "I don't think it's really sunk in, yet. Did he really just tell us that..."

"Yes, he did," he said with a small chuckle.

She was quiet, only the sound of the candy rolling around in her mouth was heard for a moment. "I'm still going climbing," she said defiantly.

Elliot laughed. "I didn't think this would stop you," he said. "But base jumping is out."

"Obviously," she said, rolling her eyes. "Are you okay with this?"

"More than okay," he said with a content sigh, looking out at the road in front of him. "What about you? You're not upset, or..."

"You know how much I want kids," she interrupted. "I love the kids, I always have, El. They've been great practice, but now I...I get to experience it for myself. From the beginning. With you." She looked away from him and saw a doe on the side of the road, standing gracefully next to her fawn. She smiled at the sight and said, "Part of me wanted it to be with you for a long time. When you...when you told me Kathy was leaving, El, my heart leaped."

He laughed and changed lanes. "Mine did, too. I thought, 'Now's my chance. Now I can tell Liv everything."

"And then we went to Disneyland," she said with a smile. "That was probably the best vacation I've ever been on. Well, until now."

He laughed again, and then he let out a low, slow, sigh. "When my marriage ended, baby, that's when my life began. My life with you, the life I'd wanted for a very long, that I hated myself for wanting." He changed lanes again and drove a little faster, eager to get to their first stop. "Promise not to hate me if I tell you something?"

"Depends on what you tell me," she kidded with a wink.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "When you used to tell me how much you wanted a baby, how you were getting tired of waiting for the right guy to come along because you didn't think he ever would..."

"And here you are," she said, interrupting him with a chuckle.

He laughed, too, but continued his mild rant. "That case...when we were undercover at the Jersey Shore? I wanted to offer...I was trying to think of a way to tell you I wanted to...help you. Anyway you wanted me to."

She turned her head, tilted it, and her eyes met his for a moment before he looked away to keep his eyes on the road. "You would have..."

"In a heartbeat," he said. "But then you suddenly stopped talking about it, and the subject hasn't come up in a while. I guess...I guess, in a way, you were still waiting for the right guy."

"I stopped talking about it because I had _your_ kids," she said. "Our kids, now. As I got closer to them, it...I think it filled that spot, ya know? Of course, had you offered, I would have taken you up on it."

He laughed. "You did, after all," he said with a glance at her. "The way it should have been. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to leave you, you know that? Had things gone differently, and it came down to being with you or..."

"It didn't," she said before he could finish. "You have me all to yourself now, I've got you, and we're having a baby."

"Doesn't get more perfect than that," he chuckled. He reached for her hand, driving steadily with one hand on the wheel. He changed lanes, pulling onto the off ramp. "Now, the fun really begins," he said, smirking at her.

"Where are we going?" she asked, returning his smirk with a questioning glare in her eyes.

He slowed the car to a stop at the red light, leaned over, kissed her, and whispered, "Just wait."

* * *

"One more step," she said to him, her hand outstretched. "Come on, El," she encouraged, grabbing his hand and pulling. "Am I really that much better at this than you?"

"You're lighter," he said, just slightly out of breath. "And you go to that indoor rock place with the girls twice a week. I haven't climbed anything but stairs and fences in, God, years."

She laughed, resting a hand on his shoulder as he unbuckled her safety harness. "Well, thank you for doing this for me."

He kissed her as his own climbing belt fell to the floor. "I'd do anything for you." He wrapped his arms around her and moved, backing her up to flatter ground. "Have you ever made love on the top of a mountain?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Have you?"

"The last people I was on the top of a mountain with were a bunch of old Marine buddies. Not exactly the type of people I'd be hitting on."

She laughed and tugged on his shirt, pulling him closer. "Yet another first we can experience together then," she said with a teasing tone.

He nodded, his eyes boring into hers as he ran his hands over her body. "Who needs the comforts of a bed and blankets?"

"Damn right," she laughed. She pressed her lips to his, they began to drop to the cold, dusty ground below, but she felt something. She pulled away from him, looked up, and groaned. "El?"

"Shit," he hissed. He got to his feet, held out his hand for her, and pulled her quickly toward their gear. The raindrops fell faster as he picked up their equipment, then guided her to the path leading down the other side of the mountain. "Mountain sex is gonna have to wait," he said over his shoulder to her.

She laughed and said, "Shut up and walk faster!"

He laughed and ran, making sure she stayed close and upright, as he pulled her toward the car. A flash of lightening crackled and the thunder rolled, shaking the ground beneath their feet. "I think we should find a hotel."

"I think that's a good idea," she agreed, yelling over the sound of the storm.

He held open her door, made sure she got in, then tossed the hiking equipment into the backseat. He ran to his side and got in, starting the car. He looked at her with a seriously annoyed expression on his face.

She bounced a little, trying not to laugh, but it happened. She broke out into hysterics, and her laughter made him laugh. "Oh, man," she said through her fit, "This could only happen to us."

"I didn't check the weather report," he admitted, pulling out of the spot and turning his car back toward the park's exit.

"Obviously," she teased, running her hands through her hair.

He let his laughter subside as he finally pulled back onto the highway. "Ya know, honey, you look good wet. Really good."

She smirked. "I think you've told me that before," she said. "A few times."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you bring that red bikini with you?"

She raised her right eyebrow in return, folded her arms, and said, "You didn't even have to ask."

His crooked smile took on an evil tone, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he stepped on the gas. He knew exactly where the next stop would be, and he knew exactly what she'd say when they got there.

He just didn't know who would be waiting for them when they arrived.

**A/N: Four left! Who's there? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: A night by the pool, with an unexpected and uninvited guest.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

They pulled into a hotel parking lot, an hour later. The storm was raging on, thunder and lightning blasting through the blackened sky, and he got out of the car first. "Stay there," he said, walking to the back of the vehicle. He opened the trunk, pulled out a single suitcase and a large umbrella, and walked back toward her door.

He popped open the umbrella before opening her door, and he pulled her out of the car, making sure she didn't get wet. "I don't want you getting sick," he told her, slamming the door shut with his foot. They walked fast, into the glass doors of the hotel, and he explained what they needed at the desk.

The concierge checked them in, gave them their keys, and sent them up to their room with a smile. "This isn't that bad," Elliot said.

Olivia looked at him and smiled. "It's perfect," she said, leaning into him.

He kissed her forehead and opened the door to the room, and he scratched his head when he put down their suitcase. "So what do you wanna do? We're kinda stuck here for the night."

She raised an eyebrow, smirked, and walked over to the suitcase he'd just dropped. "Well, since you're already wet," she teased, unzipping the luggage. She searched for a moment, then pulled the bottom to her red bikini out of the black case. "Care for a swim?"

He chuckled and pulled her toward him, gripping her wrist. "If I had my way, you and I would dive in naked," he said in a low voice. "Really give people down there something to talk about. Maybe teach them something," he said with a smug grin and a small laugh.

She chuckled, too, then kissed him, and headed into the bathroom to slip on her swimsuit. Elliot watched her leave with a sigh, then he found his own swim trunks and prayed the indoor pool was heated, and not crowded.

* * *

Once they made it to the pool, they found a couple of lounge chairs and settled into them. Olivia kept glancing at Elliot, who was staring at her with a hungry look in his eyes. She patted herself on the back for buying the bathing suit in the first place, as it always made him drool like a puppy. She shifted, getting comfortable in her spot, and she heard Elliot tell one of the men in uniform that he wanted a beer and a virgin Pina Colada, and two of the night's specials, whatever it was.

He looked over to her and asked, "Is that okay with you?"

"Sounds fine, baby," she said with a small nod. She watched the waiter walk away, and she tilted her head at Elliot. "Are we really here?"

"Yes," he said, easing back flat. "We are."

"Married," she said, chuckling. "Who'd have thought?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Everyone who's ever met us," he said. "Honestly, Liv, a blind man could have seen how we…"

"Yeah," she interrupted. "But I'm married. To you. This is all…"

"If this is all just sinking in now, then I think we should have the doctor give you some other tests," he joked, smiling at her.

She slapped him in the arm. "You know what I'm talking about! This isn't…this isn't like me. This is not who I…who I used to be, ya know? You…you changed me, El."

He sat up and leaned toward her, reached for her hand, and grazed over her ring with his thumb. "You changed me, too, baby. That's why we're here, why this all happened."

She leaned forward and kissed him softly, his hand running down her back, smoothing over the bare skin between the two pieces of red fabric. She felt him rising, pulling her up, and she trusted him enough to follow him blindly where he led.

He pulled away from her lips just for a moment as he made sure they both stepped carefully into the pool. He grinned, realizing it was heated, and he continued his descent into the water. He pulled her into his arms, once they were both fully submerged, and wrapped her legs around him.

She laughed, throwing her head back, and she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you more," he told her with a wink. He kissed her as they floated, bobbing toward the deeper end. He felt them stop, hitting the side of the pool, and he reached out to hold the edges for support. They were the only ones there, decorum didn't matter.

She slid her hands down to his waist, teasing at the hem of his trunks, playing with the cotton and nylon. She chuckled when one of his hands grabbed hers, pulling it away, and he grunted. "We're all alone, El," she whispered, trying to convince him to go for it.

He shook his head and nodded to the waiter, coming back in with their food and drinks. "No, we're not."

"You really care what the waiter thinks?" she asked, the suggestion in her voice evident.

He narrowed his eyes, then tilted his head. "No, but I care what he thinks," he said, nodding to someone they hadn't noticed, sitting in a chair at a table in the corner of the room.

She was confused. "What's he doing here?" she asked.

Elliot shrugged, kissed her once, then swam over to the steps. He climbed out of the pool, grabbed his towel, and walked over to the man. "Are you following us?"

The man looked up from his paper, seeming surprised to see Elliot. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were heading to Los…"

"The storm," he said. "We don't wanna drive in this, so we stopped at the first place we came to. What are you doing here, exactly?"

Before he could answer, a beautiful blonde walked into the room, holding two glasses of wine. "Don, I couldn't find the…"

"Judge Donnelly?" Elliot asked, stunned,

The woman paled, instantly reaching for her cover-up. "Detective Stabler! What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my honeymoon, what are you two…oh…oh, wow," Elliot said, a sneaky smirk pulling at his lips. "I get it, Jefe."

"Elliot," Cragen said, warning, "You have to…"

"Secret's safe, trust me," Elliot interrupted. "Just, uh, make sure you remember that I know. Liv knows. We're not gonna give you as much shit about it as you gave us."

"I was only trying to…"

"I know what you were trying to do," Elliot broke in. "I just don't get it. How could you possibly not trust me with her? I figured that if anyone…"

Cragen sighed. "It wasn't you, it was…I just wasn't ready for it. I didn't know if you'd get in trouble, or if I would. I didn't have time to think about how to handle a married couple in my unit, especially the two of you. You make each other happy, you keep each other safe, and we won't have a problem."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "That's all we've been doing, you had a problem."

Cragen sighed again, sipping the wine Liz Donnelly had given him. "You're right, and I'm sorry." He dropped the glass and said, "We'll, uh, we'll stay out of your way. How long are you staying?"

"Here?" Elliot questioned. "Just tonight. We're heading back out tomorrow. Can, uh, can I ask you something?"

Cragen nodded.

"Why are you here, there are plenty of great hotels in the city. We're on our way across…"

"Liz's mother lives in Jersey," Cragen said. "And there was less of a chance that anyone would see us together if we stayed out of…"

"Gotcha," Elliot said, interrupting with a nod. He nodded to Liz and turned back to Olivia, giving her a silly grin. He walked toward her, getting back into the pool, and he chuckled when he wrapped himself round her again. "This is gonna be a trip."

"He's with Donnelly?" she asked, trying not to look at them, staring into Elliot's blue eyes.

"Guess so," he shrugged, still smirking. "We aren't the only people who've found love at work."

She kissed him. "Should we tell him?" she asked, pulling at his bottom lip, grinding her pelvis into his.

He groaned and whispered, "If you don't stop we're gonna fucking show him how it happened." He chuckled and kissed her, brushing her wet hair back. "We can tell him later. When we get back."

The thunder cracked as lightning flashed outside, lighting up the room through the windows. "If we ever get to leave," Olivia mumbled, dropping her head to his neck.

Cragen watched them, ignoring what Liz was saying, and his lips curled. He was actually smiling. He saw them look at each other, saw them kiss, and it made him happy. He thought about how long it took them to tell him they were really together, and wondered how long it would take for them to tell him she was pregnant.

He chuckled, still watching them.

"What's so funny?" Liz asked. "I was talking about…"

"Nothing," Cragen answered. "Nothing at all."

**A/N: More fun in the car, an interesting hotel stop, and a phone call home brings a surprise! Down to three! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: A fantasy come true for Elliot, a nightmare come true for Kathy, and the hotel from hell. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

"You okay over there?" Elliot asked, turning toward Olivia.

She nodded, shifting in her seat trying to get comfortable. "I just…this is…we've been driving for a while and…"

"I hear ya, baby," he said, pulling over to the side of the road. He pulled the SUV onto the grass, under a tree, and turned it off. "Put your seat back, relax for a bit." He hit the button and the sunroof slid open. His seat moved back and down, and he sighed when she crawled closer to him and rested her head on his chest.

"Much better," she mumbled, making herself comfortable.

He laughed, toying with her hair. "This has been pretty amazing so far," he said.

She nodded. "Not many people can stay in a car with me for hours on end," she said. "I know my mother…my mother hated every second she spent with me."

"That's not true," he said, his tone sad. "She had problems, but she…when she was sober…shit, Liv, obviously you were important to her. She talked about you like…"

"She told them things that weren't true," she said, interrupting. "If she loved me, appreciated me, she would have been content with telling them…"

"It's all true now," he said, silencing her. "Everything she said, Liv. You and me, married, my kids are your kids, we're happy. I know she should have been proud of your life the way it was, but she wanted to think you were happy, she wanted people to think you were what you always wanted to be, a better mother than her." He kissed her forehead and said, "She did her best. That's what you always told me."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she said softly. "That's what I always told myself, too. But if that was her best, then I…"

"Don't. Don't even start," he warned, kissing her "You're amazing with them. You always have been. They used to beg me to leave with Kathy so we'd call you to watch them. My son would rave about how you kept them all in check, and you actually cooked for them."

"Boxes and cans," she said, rolling her eyes.

He laughed. "Still, you attempted to cook for them, you don't cook for yourself. That's parenting right there. And you know how I know you're gonna be an amazing mother?"

She looked into his eyes. She shrugged.

"Because you have wanted kids for so long, and you have the biggest heart in the world. You're compassionate and tough, and you're smart, Liv." He brushed her hair back again and smiled. "You're so fucking smart. You're so great with kids. Mine, the younger victims we deal with, you're always so…so perfect with them. You know what not to do, and you decided long ago that you would be a better mother than your mom."

"I guess I'm doing pretty good so far," she said with a light chuckle,

"You're kicking ass, honey," he said, smirking. He kissed her and gently rolled to his side, he brought his hand up to her face and softly caressed her cheek.

She moaned lightly, her hands gripping his shirt. His kiss always affected her strongly, but this felt different. New. She felt her body tense and twitch when his tongue ran over hers, when it ran along her teeth, tickled the roof of her mouth, slid over the insides of her cheeks.

She could feel every move, every small sensation, and it drove her further toward coming undone. She tugged on his shirt and he moved in response, grabbing her tightly and pulling as he rolled onto his back again.

He was having trouble staying calm, his breath was coming in short gasps as he tried to keep the kiss slow and deep. His hands slid up her back, bringing the shirt with them, and he sucked in a hard breath when she pulled away from him and let him toss the shirt away. He looked at her body, up and down, and he felt every hair he had stand straight up.

She moved for his belt, unbuckling it and pulling it out of the loops. She bit her lip as she struggled with the fly on his jeans, and he bucked his hips to help her push the denim down.

He craned his neck to kiss her as she moved, getting his clothes off of him. He felt every slip of her finger or slide of her skin amplified by a thousand, he was so sensitive to her touch. "I used to dream about this," he whispered, pulling her bra away from her body.

"About what?" she asked, breathless and anxious for his next move.

He slipped a hand into the front of her jeans and stroked once, as his other hand worked the zipper down and pushed the fabric over her hips. "This. You and me in the car." He smirked. "Every time we had a stakeout, no matter how long it lasted, it would be the only thing on my mind for days."

She chuckled as he latched his mouth over one of her nipples. "God," she seethed, her head dropping back. "We're not on a stakeout."

"Doesn't matter," he mumbled, her rosy bead clenched between his teeth. "It's not the important part of the fantasy."

She moaned when he twisted her body a bit and pulled on her silk panties, shoving them to side and pushing himself into her. "What is?" she breathed, her eyes squeezing shut.

"This, baby," he groaned. "You, riding me in the front seat, knowing that if anyone looks close enough, they can see the car shake and they're gonna know exactly what's going on. The closeness, knowing that you can't really move unless I want you to."

She moaned, dropping her head forward and biting her lip. "El," she said, feeling heat rising through her body.

"Yeah, Liv," he grunted, "I know, baby."

She moved, letting his hands pull and push and twist and turn her body, and she clenched around him, moaning his name louder, knowing what was coming and hating that she couldn't stop it or slow it down. "Oh, God, El," she almost whined, her body tightening even more.

"Fuck, Liv," he growled out. He bucked up hard and felt her clamp around him, and he tried to move through the tightness, grunting and groaning her name as he did.

Her head was buried in his chest, her noises were soft and rapid. She couldn't hold on anymore and she sank her teeth into his muscle and let a loud cry out.

"Damn, Liv," he hissed, coming unglued and letting go, his head dropping back into the car's seat as he tried to hold her down. He slammed into her, keeping her still, a few more times, and then he slowed. And then he stopped. And then he looked at her.

She was looking down at him, hair in her eyes and her chest heaving with its attempts at breathing. Her eyes were dark, her whole body was glistening with a soft sheen of perspiration, and she had the slightest smirk on her face.

"Holy shit," he whispered, breathing, gazing at her. "You look…just…don't move. I wanna memorize this, right here." He reached up and swept the hair out of her eyes, and he groaned. "God, you look so sexy right now."

She chuckled. "Makes sense," she said with a small shrug. She lowered herself , flattening out over his body, and she pulled her jacket over them. She looked up toward the sunroof, and she sighed. "It really is a beautiful day," she said.

He laughed and brushed her hair back again, kissing her. He looked up, watched the clouds roll by the clear blue background above them, and he smiled. She was right.

* * *

"All right," a grumpy sounding man said, handing Elliot a key. "Your room's on the third floor, Three-B."

"Thanks," Elliot said, nodding. He walked away, taking Olivia by the hand. "What crawled up his ass?" he asked under his breath.

"Probably the same thing that's crawling on the ceiling," she said, pointing up.

Elliot grimaced. "This place has five stars," he said, holding up the brochure from the travel agent he'd talked to about the trip. "We can leave if you…"

"It's just a bug," she said, cutting him off.

He smiled at her and climbed the stairs, taking them up to the third floor. He was almost at the landing when his foot fell through the step. "Jesus!" he yelled.

"Okay," Olivia said, clutching his hand as he pulled his foot out of the hole. "That…that wasn't good."

He laughed and shook his head. "You're adventurous," he said. "You wanna see the room?"

She sighed as her eyebrows lifted. "Sure," she said. "How bad can it be?"

He tilted his head and smirked. "Don't you know never to ask that?" he teased. He pulled her down the hall and stopped in front of their door. He took his hand out of hers, slid in the key and turned the knob, and he gagged. "All right," he said, coughing. "That is…strong."

"At least we know it's clean," she said, waving a hand in front of her to dissipate the smell of bleach.

Elliot looked around, dropped the suitcase he held, and folded his arms. "It's only one night, right?"

She sighed and sat on the bed, nodding. There was a moment of silence. The bed creaked, and then the corner on which she was sitting fell, the leg beneath it had snapped. She stayed sitting, and then she chuckled.

"Come on," Elliot said, pulling her up with a laugh. He grabbed the suitcase, and he slammed the door as he pulled her out of the room.

* * *

"It's a nice night for a drive," he mused, staring out the windshield as he drove.

She chuckled. "That place, El, how the hell did you find it?"

"The guy at the travel agency said it was a high class place," he said. "I thought it would be a nice place for us to spend some time, ya know? They, clearly, exaggerated in the brochure."

"Clearly," she said, laughing. "It was a nice thought, though. I'm glad the guy gave you a refund." She looked at him and smirked. "Ya know, after you held up your badge and told him you were going to report him to the health department."

He chuckled. "I still might," he said. "The smell in that room, I think it singed all my nose-hair and fried a few brain cells."

She laughed and shook her head at him, and she heard something playing soft music. "What is…oh," she said, moving. Her hand fished around in her bag for her phone, and she answered it with a cheery, "Stabler."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? That's my name," she said innocently. "Yes?" she said into the phone. "Oh, hi, Kathy. Is something wrong with one of the…what? Yes, I am." She held the phone away from her as Kathy's voice got louder.

"What is she yelling about?" Elliot asked, staring at the phone, amused.

"Someone told her, El," she said. "Someone told her I'm having a baby, and now she's yelling. I didn't ask why, I just protected my eardrums."

He scoffed and ripped the phone out of her hand. "Kathy? No! It's Elliot!" he yelled, rolling his eyes. "What are you…I don't know, we didn't think we had to call and get your approval. What? Who said anything about…that was before I…have you lost your mind?"

"El, baby, I know you're pissed off, but can you drive in a straight line, please?" Olivia chided from the passenger side.

He rolled his eyes, swerved back into the right lane, and punched the gas. "Kathy, look. When have I ever planned…no, I did not plan to get Liv…you found what? Where?" His eyes closed for a moment, and he swallowed hard. "I never went through with it, Kathy. I just…she stopped talking about it. I was going to, yes, if she wanted me to."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked.

"No, Kathy," he said. "It never happened. I'm sorry you think that way, then, because this is our life now, and the life you willingly walked away from is long gone. Over. Just…take care of the kids. I'll call them before we go to sleep." He hung up and handed the phone to Olivia.

She looked at him as she took her phone back. "Well?"

"She found the forms I filled out, when…when I told you I would help you," he started, stammering. "I filled out a bunch of forms for a clinic, if you wanted me to…father your child. I only got to the second page before I threw them in a drawer. She found them when she was cleaning, and the only things she saw were the names and the reason for the visit. She thinks we tried to have a kid together, two years ago."

"Wait, what?" Olivia asked, stunned.

He nodded. "She thinks we went there to get tested, and for fertility treatments, Liv. She thinks this was all planned, and she told me it's like living a nightmare for her. She finally calmed down and read the rest of the form, so I think she's okay, but she's starting to regret leaving."

"Are you?" she asked, not missing a beat.

He chuckled. "The only think I regret about her leaving is that she hurt my kids." He smiled at her, kissed her, and said, "I love you."

She smiled back, leaned her head on the seat behind her, and said, "I love you, too."

"Are you tired?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Why?"

"I wanna take you someplace," he said, getting into the left lane. "Someplace special." His eyes twinkled as his whole plan for their honeymoon changed, as he resolved to make her feel loved and cherished, make her feel wanted and needed, and make her feel like she was his was and only.

Because she was.

**A/N: Where does he take her? Last two! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Sharing hidden parts of yourself is what a real relationship is, no? Where does he take her? Thank you for reading this story, I hope it works for ya.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked, smirking. She hated surprises, but Elliot was full of them, so she knew she had to get used to it.

He grinned at her. "Just sit tight, we've got about an hour left. I promise, it's worth it." He sighed and raised both eyebrows, then he said, "At least I hope it'll be worth it."

She took a breath and looked out the window. "It's so much different, ya know? No accidents, no crowded streets, no…"

"No New York," he laughed. "I know. That's one of the reasons I wanted to drive."

"One?" she asked. "Why else?"

He turned down a dirt road, and he shrugged. "I thought there were still a few things we didn't know about each other. I thought this would be a chance to talk, really talk, about anything and everything. And in the car, if we got tired or…if we wanted to get a little closer," he paused to wag his eyebrows at her, "All we have to do is pull over and its fine. I just…I wanted to spend as much time alone with you as possible."

"Who knew you had this incredibly romantic side?" she asked, smiling.

"You did," he told her. "I've always been a big teddy bear around you, and part of me hated you for it for years, for making such a mush," he said with a laugh. "It wasn't until I gave in, gave up, and admitted it was because I love you that I accepted it."

She reached for his hand on the gear shift, and she sighed. "I happen to love teddy bears," she said, winking. "What did Kathy say?"

"Oh, why did you have to bring that up?" he groaned. "We were having such a nice conversation."

She laughed. "Seriously. I said goodnight to the kids, you did, then Kathy got on the phone and your whole attitude changed."

"She apologized," he said, rolling his eyes. "She said that she knew I would never have just decided to have a baby with someone I'd only known for a few months. She knew it must have been something important, and she figured out that…that it never happened. Well, until now."

Olivia laughed a bit, then shook her head. "I still can't believe you went that far, I mean, what if I didn't want it to be so…clinical?"

He looked at her, one eyebrow shot up, and he smirked. "I was ready and willing to give you what you wanted, any way you wanted it."

"Damn," she said with a harsh sigh. "All this time we could have been…"

"Do you know how many kids we would have had by now?" he laughed, making a sharp turn to the right. "Kathy would hate both of us, she'd have lawyers on my ass…"

"You really would have left her?" she asked, her eyes screwed together.

He sighed. "It sucks to say this, to really hear myself say this, but yes," he said with a nod. He pulled into a long driveway, with a guard in a booth at the end of it. "If something started between us then, I would have. That's...that's why I'm bringing you here."

She hummed in amusement and looked out the windshield. "El, where are we."

He grinned and rolled his window down, flashing his badge to the guard. "Detective Elliot Stabler," he said. "My partner, Olivia Benson. Routine check."

The guard nodded and pushed a button, lifting the long plank and letting the car go through. Olivia looked at Elliot again. "What the hell was that? Routine check for what?"

He chuckled. "Will you please just trust me?" he asked, pulling the car into a visitor's spot. He got out and stretched, feeling good about not sitting down anymore.

Olivia got out of her side, stretched as well, and looked around. "We're on a Marine base, aren't we?"

Elliot nodded, walked to her, took her hand, and pulled her along the path. "Mine," he said. "Fort Still. I spent twenty-eight weeks out in California, then they sent me here, to head up an installation unit. At the time, here, there were riots and on-base battles. A guy blew up his own barrack, just because he would rather die than go to war. Most of us, we were fighting for a cause, ya know? We believed in what we were doing, but others…others wanted it to end, and all hell broke loose. It's year and a half of my life no one knows about."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell…"

"Kathy thought I was still in California," he said, shaking his head. "I didn't want her to worry about me. Ya know, she had the baby, and her mother was giving her problems, I just thought if I told her I was on an active base, she'd crack."

"And you're telling me, now, because…" she trailed off, expectant.

"Because," he said, "I want you to know everything." He sent her a look and pulled her toward a white building. "That door, right there, was the gate to hell for most of my time here. The gym, complete with high-tech training facilities and the world's most obnoxious drill sergeant. I broke my arm on my third day with him, and he made me do fifty push-ups because it was my fault."

"Jesus," she said, stunned.

"One-armed, of course," he added, tilting his head. "They splinted it, but it didn't matter. Injured or not, I was expected to fight. To be part of the collective machine."

She gave his hand a squeeze and he pulled her along. This time, he gestured to a brick building. "Hospital." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I can't tell you how many of my friends, how many of my brothers, went into that building and never came out. It was here, ya know, the first time I killed a man. That happened here. It was an accident, I was aiming for his shoulder and..." He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Oh, El," Olivia said softly, her heart breaking for him. "It must have been awful."

"It was," he said. "It was Hell. But I brought you here to show you…" He came to a stop in front of a small iron gate. "This," he said, pointing.

Behind the gate, a beautiful garden with wildly growing flowers and wrought iron benches stared back at them. "Flowers, El?" she questioned, looking at him.

He opened the gate, led her inside, and said, "The men in my unit, because we were a bunch of bleeding-heart insomniacs, planted most of this in about a year. Every time a Marine died, we'd plant a flower patch for him. By the time I was discharged, there were ninety-seven different kinds of flowers here."

"My God," she said, shaking her head.

He bent down, pulling her with him, and said, "This, though. This group of white roses…not these exact ones, obviously, but the first ones…I planted them one night, and it wasn't because someone had died. It was because I'd lived." He reached into the bush and tore a bloom off of the plant.

He looked at her and he said, "I remember coming out here, and as I was digging, I was praying. Praying that I would make it home to my wife and kid, and praying that God would send me someone…anyone…to help me believe I was really alive, and that I had a good reason to stay that way."

He twirled the rose around in his fingers. "The night before they sent me home, I came out here, and I took a few of the seeds that hadn't rooted yet, and when I got home, I planted them in front of the house." He chuckled, remembering. "Planting things in Queens is a lot harder than planting them in Oklahoma. They sucked, Liv. I mean, they grew in crooked, and some of them weren't white so much as dark grey."

She laughed and listened, loving the story, and the meaning behind it.

He lifted the rose to his nose, breathed in, and then held it out to her. He watched her smell the flower and he smiled. "I tried to keep them alive, keep them pruned, but…after I got into the unit, full time, I didn't have the time or the energy. Kathy didn't want them, so she let them go." He shook his head and shrugged. "I guess she didn't want the reminder of the risks I'd taken by being here."

"So, they died?" she asked. "Flowers die, El. It happens."

He shook his head. "That's the odd part," he said. "The important part. They started to wither, and wilt, with each passing season. But one rose, one beautiful, white flower just wouldn't give up. That thing held on, dropping petal after petal, but never really dying, for a few more years." He turned to her, and he brushed the rose down the side of her face. "It was the only one that kept growing back, but, uh, it finally died. I watched the last petal of its last bloom fall, on June Twenty-third, two years ago."

She squinted and thought for a moment. "That was…"

"Yeah, it was," he said. "The day you walked into my life. The day I knew that I had a reason…that I survived for a reason. At first, I thought it was just to protect you, save you, but then…you became my reason for everything. For living." He kissed her and handed her the rose.

"Wow," she whispered. "El, I…"

"Don't say anything," he said. "I know it's probably the silliest thing you've ever heard."

She shook her head and took his hand, still holding the rose in her other. "That was probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me." She wiped away the tear that had fallen, hoping he didn't see it.

"Yeah?" he asked, smiling at her. He brushed his thumbs under her eyes, and he sighed contentedly.

She nodded and kissed him softly. "Yeah," she said.

He shrugged. "I just thought…you should, know, ya know?"

She chuckled and said, "You know, roses are my…"

"I know. You don't even wanna know what went through my mind when I found out you had a thing for white roses," he laughed. "I just couldn't believe it. I took it as a sign, and that's the moment I realized that…whatever you wanted, or needed, ever…it was my job to give it to you."

She leaned in, kissed him again, and whispered, "You have. You have, El."

He kissed her again, and got to his feet, pulling her up. "Another day, and we'll be there."

She sighed and looked around. "Nothing beats this, El. Nothing possibly could."

"Liv," he whispered, "You know now, don't you? That you've always been…since the moment we met…I'm trying to tell you that this…this isn't something new."

She pulled him back toward the path they'd walked on, heading toward their car, and she said, "It is. Every day with you is something new."

"For the rest of our lives," he said, a promise. He kissed her as he gripped her hand tighter, heading back to the car, leaving behind the only real secret he had ever kept, and feeling like a new man for it.

**A/N: Over and out. (This one does have a sequel, and it's already well into the third chapter. I may post it, yes?) Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


End file.
